That Which Possesses You
by MindlessAdri
Summary: Possessed by the Demon of Lust Fai must bed a new partner each night in order to survive but when he happens upon a young man with the ability to allow him to feed without doing this his interest flares. Torn between preserving Kurogane's human life and his emotions he leaves to spare them both but finds that protecting those you care for isn't... continued inside.
1. That Which You Must

**Title:** That Which Possesses You (The Darkest Seduction)  
**Rating:** PG (this chapter)  
**Warnings:** Mentions of sex nothing explicit  
**Summary: **Possessed by the Demon of Lust Fai must bed a new partner each night in order to survive but when he happens upon a young man with the ability to allow him to feed without doing this his interest flares. Torn between preserving Kurogane's human life and his emotions he leaves to spare them both but finds that protecting those you care for isn't always as easy as it seems and can't always be reached through self-sacrifice.  
While Fai and Kurogane deal with their own personal issues they are unaware of the responsibility they will have to take on with the coming of the new Reaper and their relationship is tested under he strain of unforeseen responsibility and circumstance.  
**Notes:** The fic is mostly pre-written and will be updated twice a week unless it reaches a point where I no longer have stuff ready to post. The first chapter is rather short and cuts at a odd place but I had to do that or it would be to long, so I apologize. Set AU. Thisis my first time writing fantasy since third grade so I'm sorry if it's horrible. Also posted on Dreawidth in the kurofai comunity along with other amazing posts for the Harlequin callenge

~o~

Cold air whipped around him as Fai walked through the small village he had found himself in. Around him stood thatched roof houses and structures no more than two stories high and while most were dark with drawn wooden widows to ward off the dangers of the night and the present wind there was one illuminated building. A tavern, as it was, sat at the far end of the cobble-stoned town square directly behind a circular based water fountain. And this was his destination.

As he approached he could hear the patrons inside talking, drinking, dancing – overall having an enjoyable evening. He pushed the door open with the confidence of a man who knew exactly what to do and how he was going to do it. A bell chimed overhead and most people sparred him a glance, but to these he paid no heed for it was the people whose stares lingered that would fulfill his purpose. He looked up and took in the faces of those around him as his hood dropped from his head. To reveal his blond hair. He smiled warmly at no particular person and walked to the far end of the wooden plank lined bar and took a seat.

Three people had continued to stare to stare at him when he walked in and chance willing one would approach him he was much to worn to pursue them himself, but if it came to it he would. Now that he was in a warm place he began to get comfortable first removing his flawlessly white hooded cloak with blue designs and setting it on the counter and then his black gloves yanking each individual finger before extracting his hand. He turned his left palm over and rubbed the marking gentle with his fingers. It had grown large that day, larger than usual, but it hadn't been his fault that the Soul Prowler had taken so long to find and kill. According to his mark the sun would rise in roughly four hours, in that time he needed to bed, and he could already feel himself becoming weak. Male or female didn't matter it was Essence that counted, the life force behind the person.

Fai sighed, adjusted his flowing white shirt, and smoothed the billowing black fabric of his pants that fed into his knee high similarly black boots, each tied with a perfect bow. The fashion of the day was loose fitting, light clothing, not that he minded for it gave him the ability to move freely while battling Soul Prowlers and he could more easily hide his weapons, when he hadn't left them with his horse. It seemed to him that he might actually have to physically hunt his prey this evening. Normally his own Essence was strong enough to attract somebody immediately. It was like a unseen force just reached out and chose the most compatible bedmate for the night based purely off of the Lust in the victim, and after some time the two of them would leave, mostly unnoticed, and he would do what he needed to survive: extract their Essence.

Essence and Soul – the two driving forces behind his existence. In this world there were many magical beings but in Fai's mind there were only two that mattered: Essence Snatchers and Soul Prowlers. The later of which he hunted and the first of which he was. Essence Snatchers were the tame form of Soul Prowlers and any Snatcher was capable of becoming a Prowler. Snatchers had to absorb the Essence of humans in order to live. Essence and Soul worked in harmony to create a person's being. Soul was what a person was at the core remaining the same and Essence was the driving force behind the Soul constantly changing with the person and their life. At the core a person could be kind and caring but if surrounded by misfortune they could be driven to do questionable things.

Essence Snatchers were, or at least at one point had been, humans willingly possessed by Demons. The Demon lived within it's host keeping them forever young and giving them unimaginable beauty, grace, and elegance; it came at a price of course. The Demon fed off of it's host Essence to fuel it's existence within the mortal realm constantly draining the driving and protective force surrounding the Soul. If the host were unable to replenish their Essence by sunrise their Soul would be left vulnerable and eaten by the Demon within them and in that moment they would cease to exist.

Existence and death are similar and separate. When a person dies their Soul is no longer of this world but still alive even if it can no longer maintain it's attachment to it's vessel, the Body. However, if the Soul is absorbed it is obliterated and turned into raw energy for the Demon that absorbed it and if enough Souls were absorbed the Demon had the potential to destroy the delicate balance of the spirit world and the mortal world. Most notably Demons would be able to exist without a host in the mortal world. Therefore when a Essence Snatcher failed to refill their Essence for the Demon within them their Soul became unprotected and the first that it would take and absorb thus their existence would cease. The Demon would continue to search for Souls until it had become strong enough to exist without it's host and take on it's true form. And this was why Fai had to bed a new partner each night, because he had the fortune and misfortune of being possessed by the Demon Lust. His Soul would remain protected and he could do his own part in keeping the oblivious humans safe by taking a new person to bed each night to drain them.

Fai never took more than he needed, always operating and the lowest level of energy he could. He would never say he regretted becoming this way he had saved his brother even if he had become basically immortal with no hope of salvation. Now, two hundred years later, he was sent out on missions to destroy the various Snatchers that became Prowlers when needed, his brother was dead of natural causes, and he would forever remain at the preserved age of twenty-two. As previously stated, normally his Essence was strong enough to attract the individuals needed to sustain him but he was much to weak now and thus his Essence was depleted and not nearly as magnetic.

He pushed himself off of his seat thinking,_ "Might as well use this beauty for something,"_ and made his merry way over to one of the people whose stares had lingered when he first walked in. Even in his weakened state he could read person's Essence even if he could hardly transmit his own and of the people he had targeted he settled for a plump redhead, her Essence was filled with enough Lust that he could drain it without completely devouring it. Human's who had their Essence completely drained became the living dead – a Body with a Soul but no desire and they became unresponsive to the world. Even if the human wasn't fully drained the effects were rather devastating. Aspects about the person would change and normally the victim, as Fai thought them, became lost because even if they didn't remember what had transpired they were acutely aware that something was missing from them. Some went insane, others became depressed, and the then there were the lucky few who with incredibly strong Essence would continue their lives with nothing more than feeling like something was forever missing. This woman was one of the later, and though he took comfort in that it did nothing to relieve his guilt.

The redhead's bosom stood taught being supported by a brown leather corset under which she wore a blue flowing top that ruffled at her wrists and was tucked into a pair of skintight red pants. Fai tapped her on the shoulder, "Good evening milady," he said smoothly.

She turned from her companions, her red curls were held back from her face with a tightly done bandana. Her smile was radiant, and her cheeks flushed from drinking and laughing carelessly. Silently Fai wondered if he was about to take that smile from the world. "Milady?" she scoffed loudly in a distinctly Irish accent. "I haven't been addressed as 'Milady' in all mi' life! Call me Francis, short for Francesca."

Fai gave her a slight smile, "I apologize for the rudeness of other people up until this point, Francis, for a woman as lovely as you should always be addressed in the highest regard until otherwise told."

The young woman smiled to herself before giving him a once over, "And what shall I call you, handsome?"

"Please call me Fai. Forgive me for not stating so earlier," he took her hand and planted a kiss atop it. "Tell me Francis, do you know a lodge close by that is still accepting customers?"

She smiled and titled her face down while keeping her gaze on the blond man, "Ay, but lodging isn't cheap and neither is a bedmate. If you catch mi' drift."

Fai hummed, "A lady as lovely as yourself?"

She smiled wickedly, "Lucky for you I come free to the right person."

"What qualification does this person need, love?"

Francis stepped closer to him and interlaced her fingers behind his neck, "Tonight the right person need only golden hair and amber eyes." She planted her mouth firmly to his and Fai engaged sucking at her rosy bottom lip as his eyes slid close, not from pleasure exactly but habit.

From the group behind Francis came numerous cat calls in similar accents, "Oi, Francis, get a room why doncha?"

She turned sharply and planted her hands on her hips, "I was plannin' on it Brutus! Now if you'll excuse me I have business to be attendin' to." She grabbed her cloak and took Fai's hand as they headed towards the exit.

"Just a moment," Fai interrupted their departure, "I forgot my cloak. I'll meet you outside." He took her hand in both of his and kissed it for a second time that evening.

She kissed him chastely, "Hurry back."

He bowed deeply as he backed away, "Will do." Once she had left he stood upright and walked uncaringly over to his cloak which he slipped on quickly before pulling the hood up and grabbed his gloves in one hand and rushing towards the door. Unexpectedly, though, he collided with with a solid mass that sent him tumbling backwards. Irony would have it that he could fight and slay Soul Prowlers but could be sent flying when he walked into a simple human. Fai braced himself for impact with the dirty wooden floor but his decent was halted by two hands grasping his forearms.

"Tch. Watch where you're going idiot," a deep voice chided lightly.

Fai looked up, the hood of his cloak falling away from him as he caught the coal eyes of the large stranger. The feeling of being weightless was instantaneous and it felt like the two of them had been removed from the world. The man's eyes dilated slightly as they began to glow a bright gold and though he couldn't confirm it Fai was sure his were mimicking the other's. A beam of light extended from the pupils of the stranger and met with a beam of light from Fai's own eyes and there was an explosion of warmth between them.

As quickly as it had began the moment had passed and they were back in the tavern though based on the way the man was looking at him he guessed that whoever was holding him had never left. "Hey are you okay?"

Fai gathered his senses about him, "I'm fine. Thank you for catching me." He smiled brilliantly and brought his hands to he man's biceps (which he noted were huge) to support himself and the man catching his cue adjusted his position so Fai could find his footing.

The stranger rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands and looked back to Fai with confusion.

The blond felt incredible like his Essence had been fully replenished – no it couldn't be. He glanced at his hand and sure enough his marking had disappeared. The marking never full disappeared because he only replenished the minimum amount he needed to make it through the next day. But here was proof that he had absorbed Essence right in front of him and he had done it without even having sex. This went against everything he knew about his existence. He knew that in order to absorb Essence the supplier had to be filled with excess of the sin his Demon craved and this man was not filled with enough Lust to taint his Essence.

"Weren't your eyes amber?" The rough voice brought Fai back from his thoughts.

Fai instinctively reach up and touched beneath his eye "My eyes?"

"Yeah I thought when you first looked up they were amber they're blue now."

"Blue?" It suddenly clicked with Fai his eyes became amber when his Essence was extremely low but became their natural blue when it was strong. "Oh! Blue! Yes my eyes are blue. It must have been the light or something," he trailed off. "Um, what's your name?"

The darker raised an eyebrow, "Kurogane. Are you sure you're okay? You seem a bit strange."

"Oh yes! I'm fine. More than fine actually," Fai rushed being so animated with his hands that Kurogane took a step back.

Kurogane rubbed the back of his neck, "If you say so. Anyway I think you're girlfriend is waiting for you." He pointed behind Fai.

The blond whipped around to see Francis calling him over with her finger. "Oh, she's not my girlfriend she's-"

"You know this is of no concern to me. I have business here. Now if you'll excuse me," Kurogane pushed past him and went to the bar and started a conversation that sent the bartender to the back room. Fai stared on only to stop when, simultaneously, a hand was placed on his shoulder and the coal-eyed man looked up to glare warningly at him.

"Friend of yours, love?" Francis ventured. Her hand traveled from his shoulder up the nape of his neck and tangled itself in his hair.

Fai was confused to say the least. For two hundred years he had been use to people being unwaveringly attracted to him and yet this man had simply walked away from him. The even greater mystery was how he had been able to replenish his Essence. For the first time he had been denied and he found himself irrevocably attracted to this man for reasons he was scouring his brain to find. It had been a century and a half since he had actually been attracted to anyone physically or otherwise. Sex and his condition had taken away his ability to be anything but objective about it and the people he slept with.

He removed Francis' hand from his hair gently and turned still grasping it. "Francis, you'll have to forgive me. It seems something urgent has come up and I must leave. Perhaps another time." While he had her he might as well try to secure a second opportunity he still had to absorb tomorrow as well.

"Ay, I wish I could agree but, alas, me and mi' crew," she threw a thumb in the direction of her counterparts, "be headin' out at first light."

"I find myself in a similar position. Well then this is farewell until we meet again." He kissed her hand and departed as swiftly as he had come.

Fai had been waiting on the roof of the tavern for close to twenty minutes and regardless of the need he felt to talk to Kurogane he was becoming impatient. Just then the door opened and the familiar bell chimed. Light found it's way into the square for a moment before being sucked away by a closing door and the person who had emerged with the light stepped into the square.

All to quickly he became unsure of himself. What exactly was he supposed to do now? How was he supposed to approach the situation? He couldn't feasibly walk up to the taller and explain that he was possessed by a Demon of Lust, fed off the Essence of innocent humans and was about to do so when he walked in and somehow filled him with Essence, and now he was unexplainable drawn to him. Logic told him not to do that so instead he crouched further down on the roof to silently watch Kurogane walk away a bag now slung over his shoulder.

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AN: Thank you for reading! I have about 6 chapters set aside right now so that's three weeks of posting if I keep with my schedule.

As always reviews are appreciated and check out the other Harlequin posts in the KuroFai community on Dreamwidth.


	2. That Which We Forget

AN: I'm sorry if my fantasy writing is still terrible. I have a thing for Kurogane's chest. Sue me.

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Somebody was watching him, Kurogane could feel it. It was probably a special talent he had picked up being a hunter: the ability to know when being hunted. The presence didn't seem threatening only curious, still he drew both of his double edged daggers from their holsters hidden by his cloak and held them poised at his side. If the presence started moving he would strike, but not until then. He was nearing the fountain now in the middle of the square when he heard the unmistakeable sound of somebody jumping to the ground. With all the practiced skill of a person who had been around knives their whole life Kurogane spun the dagger in front of himself catching it by the bladed tip and threw it just to the left of his stalker.

"I won't miss a second time," he asserted with his dagger in position to attack if need be. Instead he found the blond from earlier staring dumbfounded at the knife pinning his cloak to the ground.

"There is no need for you to attack a second time, Kuro...," he paused. "And I was just thinking it too. Why is your name so long?" He whined.

Kurogane scrunched his forehead together irritated disbelief. This idiot couldn't be seriously wasting his time. He had places to be and he would be damned if he let this guy – what was his name again? Fai? - he would be damned if he let _Fai _keep him from them. He walked over and knelled beside the other and extracted his blade from the stone underneath with little effort. He stood and holstered his weapons at their respective spots against his ribs and through it all the idiot kept mumbling himself.

"I got it!" Fai snapped, "Kuro-rin!" The idiot smiled at him as if he was unbelievably proud of himself for remembering, or misremembering really.

"Tch," Kurogane shook his head and began to walk away. "Not even close, idiot." Part of him thought about correcting the new found nuisance but he didn't have time to deal with the man.

He heard Fai picking himself up behind him and honestly thought he would either stay put or walk back inside to that good-looking redhead, but no, footsteps began to follow him. "Kuro-pi?"

"No."

"Hmm, Kuro-pu?"

"No."

"Kuro-_san_?"

"No." He was becoming increasingly irritated and though he knew it showed in his voice the blond continued to follow him.

"Kuro-dagger?"

He abruptly turned around to face his follower causing the blond to nearly collide with him a second time, "Now you're just making shit up."

"Well, Kuro-pon has a mouth doesn't he. Besides he hasn't asked me to stop yet," Fai replied inching his face closer to the others provoking no reaction.

"Stop. My name is Kurogane. Can you remember that?" He poked the other in the chest roughly to assert his point. Fai nodded, a huge entertained smile on his face. "Good. Now if you'll excuse me." Kurogane turned swiftly, his cloak making a circular sweeping motion as he did.

Fai stared after the retreating man a moment before walking after him, "Just because I remember doesn't mean I'll do anything differently, Kuro-min."

Kurogane looked over his shoulder and snarled, "Stop following me," he punctuated each word hoping to ward the nuisance off.

"Aww, but Kuro-chi, I was hoping you could point me in the direction of an inn or some other form of lodging." This was hardly true, he was supposed to be reporting back in a matter of hours on the condition of the newly fallen Prowler and possibly pick up a new assignment.

The taller snorted in mild cynical amusement, "Go back to the tavern. It looked like that woman was willing to point you in the direction of more than an inn."

Fai smiled to himself, his intrigue for this human only growing the more he talked. "I can hardly go back to the tavern now. You have gone and gotten me lost. Besides I already told her I have urgent matters to attend to." He wasn't really lost. Scaling one of these buildings would be only too easy, and looking out over the small village to find his way back even easier.

"And _do _you have 'urgent matters to attend to'?" Kurogane asked turning a corner out of the alleyway he had walked them through.

The blond paused, "Well of course! I had to talk to you, Kuro-rin."

He put a hand to his face and rubbed in aggravation, "I thought you had to find an inn."

"Well we could do that too, but I must say I think you are being awfully forward," Fai replied.

Kurogane looked behind himself confused, "Wha-?" The impact of Fai's implication hit him and fire crept up his neck. "I said _you _not _we _you idiot! Besides I could do much better than an annoying blond who can't shut his trap."

Fai scrunched his face in a private pout, twice he had been denied by this man. Once at the tavern when he was confused and now when he had been putting forth an earnest effort. Most humans would have dropped whatever they were doing to point him in the direction of an inn but not this one. He was different, and not in some cliché romance novel way but in a "he's-not-affected-by-me" way. Fai wasn't necessarily upset that Kurogane was impervious, if anything he was curious as to why and it only fueled his attraction. The attraction he felt wasn't necessarily physical nor sexual either, the taller just pulled him in like a magnet. The irony was that the magnet was trying to push him away. "What's in the bag Kuro-myu?" Fai asked thinking a change of subject might be in order.

The taller glanced back again at the blond, the man really did seem to want an actual answer. "Distilled alcohol for my mother. She's the closest thing the village has to a doctor," he answered matter of factually. Kurogane picked up his pace remembering why he was in a hurry. If you asked him the kid that had been brought in didn't look like he needed any procedure done that would require alcohol to sterilize a wound or medical instruments. He was probably another one of the crazies. God bless his mother's soul but the day he actually started to believe she was some kind of 'spiritual link' was the day the town got raided which was far fetched. Nihon was home to one of the strongest if not fiercest volunteer militias in fifty miles. They trained when they had time, worked on actual military tactics, and had a constant patrol around the outskirts. Not to mention the village was largely made up of formidable fit men who made their money hunting animals or cutting trees in the surrounding forest and selling the meat or lumber at the port city twenty mile east. It wasn't like the village had ever been disturbed but it was better to be safe than sorry. Other than the occasional wolf Nihon was safe.

"Is there an emergency?" The blond asked increasing his pace so he was walking beside Kurogane instead of behind him.

Kurogane rolled his eyes, "Didn't I tell you I was in a hurry?"

Fai thought a moment, he supposed that made sense. Perhaps that was why the other was so irritable and wasn't responding to his curiosity fueled advances. Then again, probably not. "If your mother is the town doctor does that mean she had cots?"

"Yeah what of it?" The darker asked raising an eyebrow. All to late did he realize what Fai was suggesting.

A smile crept across Fai's face, "Would one be available for the evening? I assure you I can pay."

Every nerve in his body screamed for Kurogane to say no, but it wasn't his house nor his profit that he would make letting Fai stay. "That's for my mother to decide," he stated begrudgingly.

"Well then we better hurry. We shouldn't keep them any longer what with the way you've been lumbering along. How far until we reach our destination?" Fai asked suddenly taking the initiative and walking ahead of the other as if he had any idea where he was going.

"_Lumbering? _I seem to remember my trip back much differently. I remember it with an unwanted guest, who can't be quiet, and doesn't have the decency to remember my name." Kurogane made a disgruntled noise in his throat, listing the reason for his annoyance only fueled it. "It's the shop with the lights still on, so not far."

The shop he was addressing was one of the few two story buildings in the village and the window was allowing light to spill out over the cobble stone street. The two quickened their pace to both get out of the cold that was only made bone chilling by the wind in order to deliver the alcohol.

The bell overhead within the shop rang as they entered. The shop was systematically cluttered with various containers of herbs that sat on low wooden platforms that provided a warm and flowery fragrant "Kurogane?" Came a woman's voice from beyond the clutter, probably, if Fai had to guess, from a back room.

"It's me mom. I got the alcohol you asked for. A pest follo-" Kurogane began only to be cut off by a large crash from the back room. "Mom?" He called out gruffly setting the bag down and making for the back room. "Mom answer me!"

Fai watched as Kurogane headed for a doorway covered by a red curtain only to be stopped when a slight woman, who only came to Kurogane's pectoral, with long flowing hair raven colored hair emerged an ran into the taller. "Oh, Kurogane. You're back. What took you so long?"

"That's not important right now, what was that noise? Are you hurt? I told you I would get everything for you. You should be resting." He crossed his arms about his chest and stood up straighter.

"Kurogane," she said sternly, "I may have had an asthma attack earlier today but I took care of it and I rested all morning and afternoon, now let me do my job."

Her son breathed out through his nose with a distressed look in his eyes that he tried to cover by frowning. She gently laid her hand on his cheek and he would have leaned into the touch affectionately if she didn't think he hyper-aware of the stranger standing by the door. She was just as aware as he was. All day she had felt the presence of a Demon within the village, it had arrived suddenly as if it materialized out of thin air. Normally when Demons came to town they approached at a steady pace allowing for her body to compensate for the strain of the afflicting Aura. But the Demon's sudden arrival to the northwest of the village, less than a mile, away from the edge of the woods had sent her body into a state of shock causing her to have what she had always explained to her son as just another asthma attack, he was accustomed to seeing them enough that he accepted her explanation.

When Kurogane had been younger she had sensed that he possessed the same ability as she did. Within the secondary world, that humans were unaware of, they were known as Demon Links. They acted as ambassadors of sorts to those from beyond this realm, helping them if they chose to do such. Not every Demon was bad, much like the one standing in her shop now, and every Link had the freedom to decide who they would assist. More importantly though Links had the very special ability to feed Demons Essence needed to exist within the mortal realm without losing anything themselves because they were touched by the Reaper, the most powerful of all creatures. However, they had to consciously push their Essence into the Demon.

Reapers we're the closest thing to the conceived notion of God. They decided life and death and the fate of Souls but they were hardly immortal and could hardly do much else. They lived surround by Angels who were sent as messengers to the mortal realm, messengers who took and delivered Souls from and to Bodies, human vessels, when the Reaper decided it was time for the Soul to return. It was then decided weather the Soul would become an Angle or return to Earth as a new born. Being on Earth was meant to allow the Soul to gain knowledge in order to gain internal peace through relinquishing desire, if this was achieved the Soul became an Angel. However this was very hard to achieve and most Souls returned to Earth seeing as they had to overcome want and desire. Even after becoming an Angel though one could fall, and these fallen Angels became demons who could neither return to peace or Earth without first experiencing death. Demons both wanted and avoided death. Avoided it for self preservation and craved it so that they could begin the process of finding peace again.

The Angels that fell were sent to one of the four Demon Keepers until an opportunity presented itself to posses a Body seeing as the only way to satisfy both instincts was to be placed in a situation in which the host kept the Demon living but dormant or allowed for it's Soul to be consumed and set the Demon on a path of destruction to gain power, once this path was started the Demon would be hunted and killed thus fulfilling the other desire. The Demon Keepers chose the humans they thought would continue to do the first and could utilize the power given to them by the Demon that possessed them.

Demon Links were the Souls of angels who requested to be sent back to Earth, knowing full well they may not be able to find peace in their new lifetime. And because they volunteered to go to Earth and relinquish the peace they had found they were granted the ability to feed Demons and sense them. Tsumebe, had tried to explain to her son their place in the world but he hadn't be able to go any further after his first encounter with a Demon because after the horrific event he had forgotten everything he had been taught and began to think his mother crazy. Which is why she had been surprised and fell off her step stool when she felt the Demon presence follow her son into the shop.

Kurogane uncrossed his arms and ran a hand through his hair. "At least let me help you."

His mother smiled warmly, "As if I could do any different with you at my every beckon call. And stop scowling so much, you are much to young to look so displeased."

Her son 'hmphed.' "Just be more careful. I'm the only person here to look after you and I can't be everywhere at once."

"Alright, my dear boy. Now what was this you were saying about a pest?" She asked acting as if she wasn't acutely aware of the Demon possessed blond in her shop.

Kurogane's scowl deepened, "This babbling idiot is the reason I was late in returning. He insisted on following me while spouting bullshi-" his mother raised an eyebrow, "- I mean, spouting nonsense. I had to stop several times just to collect myself." Normally he restrained himself from cursing in front of his mother out of respect but his irritation with the blond standing just inside the shop while feigning innocence annoyed him to no end.

"Kurogane, that's no way to treat a guest," she chided lightly. "Have you offered him a cot for the night?"

Fai decided to use this as his opportunity to interject, "I can pay milady. I am good for one nights fee and I will depart at first light." He smiled politely.

Tsumebe made her way to the blond and took his hands in hers, "There is no need to hurry. You are welcome here, Lust," she whispered.

The Demon inhaled sharply, losing his composure for the slightest moment before regaining his polite smile. "I am humbled by your hospitality but I'm afraid I must return home," he emphasized to attempt to determine how much the woman knew of his existence.

Understanding flashed across her eyes, "Well if you must. But I will not accept money."

"Mom! Don't just open your home to a complete stranger without compensation," Kurogane threw out hastily.

His mother smiled patiently at him, "Kurogane, we have plenty of money between your hunting and my healing. If you had let me finish you would also know I do not plan on letting him stay for free. I believe he can help me upstairs."

Kurogane groaned, just as he had suspected, the blond was one of the crazies

The upstairs was simply a plain room with a few cots pushed to the sides and on one lay a boy no older than fifteen panting as his chest rose and fell rapidly. His face shined with sweat yet radiated fever. The boys mother was knelled at his bedside obvious worry twisting her face. Fai and Tsumebe had left Kurogane down stairs to retire to his room located beyond the store front once he had gotten the items his mother needed from the store room.

Tsumebe went forth and placed herself at the center of the room with the things she had carried up: Dragon's Breath, a goblet, and a shallow basin filled with water. "What is it exactly that you are hoping I can do for you?" Fai asked in earnest.

"The boy has a Soul Parasite. Normally people are brought to me much sooner and I can extract the Parasite through herbs and prayer alone, but the Parasite it so tightly wrapped around the Soul and I wouldn't be able to remove it without a long drawn out ritual that would drain both me and him. Honestly, he doesn't have much energy to give. So I was hoping you would-"

-draw it out with Demon blood." Fai finished for her. Humans possessed by Demons found that their blood created portals to the Demon Realm. If this Soul parasite took the bait it would try to go through that portal and ultimately fail. Blood portals could only be seen and used at speeds incapable of any human or animal of the mortal realm. "I can do that for you."

The healer knelt in front of the water and said a quick prayer that caused to water to momentarily glow. She then stood and carried the basin and other things over to the boy's bedside. "Miss," she addressed the boy's mother, "It would be best if you waited downstairs. We'll be done in just a little while."

"B-but Thomas, what if-"

"Milady," Fai chimed in. He walked over to her and took her hand in order to pull her up. She followed his lead without question. "Thomas will be just fine. I'm sure if you go down stairs it'll all seem over much quicker." He took her to the staircase and she descended without question. Sometimes his dashing good looks could be used for things other than evil.

Tsumebe handed him the goblet when he returned and looked intently at the boy to allow Fai privacy. He relaxed his right hand that he held the goblet in and allowed for his claws to extend from his finger tips in to gruesomely long points that were sharp to the touch. He touched the claw of this pointer finger to his left wrist and drew it across smoothly forming a deep gash and red liquid began to surface. Before a single drop could leave him his claws retracted and he held the goblet underneath the collecting blood. He upturned his hand and allowed to blood to flow freely into the cup. Once half full Fai set the goblet on the night stand next to the bed and applied pressure to the cut to staunch the flow of blood.

The healer reached across the bed, grabbed the cup and held it in her lap.

Thomas' body began to shake violently and the veins throughout his body bulged in an alien way. He sounded as if he were choking and deprived of air. His back arched inhumanly away from the mattress as his limbs went taught. All to suddenly he vomited, the vile substance landing on his chest. The parasite was coming, it had released the Soul and the body was reacting violently as it tried to restore internal balance and repair itself. The boys eyes popped open as he convulsed on the bed but there was no iris nor pupil just white but even then you could sense the terror within the child. He opened his mouth as if he were about to scream only to be silenced as the Parasite began to exit through it, worm like and slimy, roughly the size of a fist in diameter and a foot long in length. The worm dove straight for the blood placed in Tsumebe's lap. She let it come and when it was close enough she grabbed the Dragon's Breath from behind her and placed it in the goblet. The Parasite tried to redirect it's course but it was futile it's head landed in it's intended, but now tainted, target. It made a noise of pain and fell to the wooden floor with a dull thud. On the floor it withered and continued to cry as it began to shrink in size until it was no more than the size of a plump centipede. Seizing her chance Tsumebe grabbed the awful thing and dropped in into the purified water unceremoniously. The water boiled upon contact and stopped once the Parasite had been completely incinerated.

Thomas lay panting in the bed asleep but well. Fai still gripped at his wrist as Tsumebe stood. "Thank you very much Fai. I'll finish up here. Please go down stairs to the back and ask Kurogane to give you some bandages for your wrist. You may be a Demon but your wounds still need time to heal albeit less time."

"Isn't Kuro-puu asleep?" Fai asked giving less pressure to his wound to see if it had slowed. It hadn't, he must have made the cut to deep.

"Kuro-puu?" Tsumebe repeated quietly as a smile spread across her face. She now understood why her son had been so irritated and couldn't help but laugh. "No wonder he's so bothered by you. And no, he might have said he was going to sleep but he never sleeps until I'm in my own room."

Fai descended the steps, quietly passing by Thomas' mother who had fallen asleep in a chair, he went through the curtained doorway making a left in the hallway. Earlier he had learned that going right led to a storeroom so it was safe to assume which way their living quarters were.

Kurogane turned over in his bed when he felt somebody approaching, he had left his door cracked so he could see his mother when she came down from the crazy room. However he knew his mother's presence and was aware that the person slowly walking down the hall was none other than the crazy blond. It was easy to pick up on his presence it was one that made him edgy in one sense and at ease in another. A knock came drifting through his room, light and tentative.

"Kuro-sama? Your mother said you could get bandages-" No sooner had the word escaped his lips was the door pulled the rest of the way open with incredible force.

"Did she injure herself? Is there blood?" Kurogane rushed out.

Fai's eyes went wide, in the door frame stood the most well crafted man he had had the privilege of seeing in all his years. Damn Kurogane for not wearing a shirt to bed because Fai found it increasingly difficult to talk the longer he stood there staring at the well sculpted chest. If only he could touch it, he reached his left hand out intent of spreading it over the muscles of the man's lower abdomen and slowly pushing it upwards over the other well defined muscles, up his neck, curl a hand in his hair and then - "Shit!" Kurogane barked. "Why didn't you say it was you that was bleeding you idiot!"

Being pulled away from his daydream Fai followed Kurogane's eyes to his wrist where blood was still freely flowing even if at a much slower rate. The taller growled and clamped a hand over the pale wrist. "Don't just fucking stand there and watch yourself bleed."

Kurogane dragged him down the hall past two closed doors and through another curtain at the end of the hall which gave way to the darkened kitchen. The taller dragged Fai around causing the slighter to trip over unseen objects until they reached the oven where embers still glowed. He grabbed a thin yet long wooden stick and stuck it in the embers waiting til is caught fire to drag Fai to the middle of the room and expertly light the oil lamp the hung from the ceiling thus giving light to the room.

The taller sat Fai in a chair at the table just to the left of them. He took Fai's other hand in his and looked the blond in the eye. "Keep pressure on it while I find the bandages and antiseptic." He removed his hand and placed Fai's own where his had been.

The blond used this opportunity to take in the cluttered kitchen. It wasn't dirty by any means just packed full of boxes and other miscellaneous items. No wonder he had been tripping so much as he was pulled through the dark.

Kurogane returned from behind him with the bottle of alcohol his mother had sent him to get earlier and hadn't needed in the end, a rag, and a roll of white bandages. "Let me see it," Kurogane commanded quietly his voice losing it's usual gruffness as he concentrated. He pulled up a chair and sat across from the blond.

Fai complied holding out his wrist to the other, "Kuro-sleepy, I'm capable of doing this myself."

"Pft. As if. You'd probably forget to disinfect the wound get and infection and die a slow agonizing death as your flesh was eaten by bacteria," he said pouring the alcohol onto the rag.

Fai's face twisted, "Is this going to burn?"

Kurogane shrugged in response.

The blond tried to pull his wrist away, "Let me do it myself."

The other scowled as if that would stop it from burning if it was going to burn. "Just hold still and let me do this!"

"I'd rather take my chances with the flesh eating disease!"

"Stop being so irrational you idiot!" Kurogane groaned, how old was this guy anyway. Twelve? "Fai," he said firmly catching the blond off guard, "Purple elephants walking in the street in dresses."

Fai looked at him confused and to distracted to stop the other from laying the soaked rag across his wound. He flinched just a bit at the slight burning sensation. "That's not fair Kuro-sneaky. You tricked me.

Kurogane rolled his eyes as he took the rag in hand and began cleaning the cut. "I wouldn't of had to trick you if you hadn't acted like a bratty kid."

Fai smiled warmly and adjusted his position so his elbows rested on his thighs and his chin in his free hand. He studied the sharp lines of Kurogane's face and tried his best not to stare to much at the mans biceps and otherwise tone figure. He watched coal eyes concentrate on his wound and he wondered if perhaps it was a common eye color in his village. Most northern villages had blue eyes and fair skinned people like himself. Tsumebe didn't have them so perhaps it was something else her eyes were a light brown. "Do you get your eyes from your father Kuro-sama?"

The taller looked up locking his eyes with blue ones, "My mother says I do."

"Oh and is Kuro-papa off hunting in the woods while you hold down the fort?" Fai teased.

Kurogane sighed reaching for the bandages, "No. My father is off being dead."

Fai's face fell, "Oh. Sorry. I didn't know."

"Did you kill my father?"

Blue eyes widened in horror, "No!"

"Then don't be sorry. To be honest I don't even remember." Kurogane blew over the wound causing a cooling sensation over the alcohol and began to wrap it tightly. "Clean it everyday. Don't let dirt get in it."

"Ay ay, Kuro-sir!" Fai flexed his hand

Kurogane ran a hand awkwardly through his hair. He supposed the idiot wasn't so bad once he got past the nicknames. Not to mention he felt an unexplainable sense of responsibility for the blond and the thought of just letting him leave and not seeing him again was not a welcomed one. "Do you plan on coming back through town anytime soon?"

Fai stopped making a fist. "Mm, perhaps. It all depends on what my next assignment is and where it is. But maybe if my boss gives me a break and sometime to enjoy myself Nihon will be on my list of places to visit."

"Don't go out of your way for my sake." The taller leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms about his bare chest. Wait – his chest was bare. In front of the most attractive blond man he had ever met. The realization embarrassed him to no end. He cleared his throat and looked away, there was nothing he could do about it now without stopping the conversation. "What do you do for work?"

A coy smile crept across Fai's face, "I find people who have strayed from the path of good and deliver punishment."

Kurogane scoffed. "Are you trying to tell me you are some sort of mercenary?"

"Some sort." He smiled.

The other looked Fai straight in the eyes, "So my options are I accept you're a mercenary or I assume you're a liar."

"Hmm, quite a conundrum you find yourself in. I will tell you this. My life requires me to be both of those."

Kurogane stared a him for a moment waiting for any sign that the man was lying. "Bullshit."

Fai chuckled contently. "Well we better head to bed. I'm sure your mother needs help cleaning up so I should go do that."

"Right. My mother." Kurogane had forgotten about her for a few moments. "Make sure she gets down the stairs safe then."

"Will do Kuro-puu."

Fai stood and made for the kitchen exit. "Wait. Earlier. I was going to ask you to get a drink with me if you come back here. I'll buy."

The other's smile could have melted an iceberg, "I'm sure I can make time for that."

"Like I said, 'Don't go out of your way for my sake.'"

"I wouldn't think of it." With that Fai left throwing a wave over his shoulder as he went through the curtain.

Then Kurogane did something he didn't normally do he smiled, full and happy. And he went to bed that way.

Upstairs Fai found Tsumebe busying herself making up one of the cots with a thick quilt. She fluffed a pillow and set it down at the head of the bed. "So you fed off my son?"

She didn't sound upset but Fai chose to stop in the middle of the room just in case. "I only ask because I can sense his energy in you."

"I did so by accident. I don't think he was even aware anything happened. Quite honestly I don't know what happened. One second I'm nearly drained and the next I'm fuller than I have ever been."

"It's interesting if you say he didn't seem aware of it seeing as it's normally a conscious thing when a Link pushes their Essence. Kurogane has the same ability as me, but he isn't aware of it at all."

"Excuse me, but I don't even know what this ability is. What are you and Kurogane?"

"We're Demon Links."

The two of them talked for another hour in the upstairs room that had been vacated shortly after Fai had went downstairs. She was patient with him as she explained to him what Demon Links were and how they operated. When he asked why he had never heard of Demon Links before she reasoned it was because they were so rare, seeing as most Angels had no reason to return to Earth unless they fell and became Demons. Most Demons she met over the years hadn't known what she was, she didn't think they were secret just unknown.

"So if you know that Kurogane had the same capability as you why is he unaware of it?" Fai asked once she had concluded.

"When he was younger he knew what he was. And I was training him to become a healer like me. One day we were walking through the woods so I could show him the differences in wild herbs and we came across a young boy. He looked like he hadn't eaten in days. In reality he had just failed to satisfy his Demon. He was possessed by one of the more dangerous Demons: Gluttony."

Fai flinched. Each Demon required something different to gather Essence and stay dormant. Every Demon required Essence, however each could only gain it through certain means. Gluttony required flesh. Fai would have been dead long ago had he been possessed by that Demon and he was a grown man. He couldn't begin to imagine having to eat humans and the affect it would have on a child's mind.

"I sensed what he was right away. Kurogane was still young and couldn't differentiate the Aura of humans and Demons yet so seeing the boy he made a mad dash for him. I had every intention of feeding the boy, but Kurogane got there first and when they locked eyes the boy was filled with Essence again. After that we took the boy home and he begged for us not to turn him out on the streets. He was only a child hardly capable of an impure thought and yet there he was in a situation where he would have to commit a heinous act everyday for survival.

"My son saw this and he too begged for the boy to stay. He said he would feed him everyday and that we couldn't just let him go. The boy had been a new Demon turned out by his family for whom he accepted the Demon for he later told me. After discussing it with Toriho we agreed knowing in a few years time we would have to move to avoid suspicion seeing as he would never age.

"However just a year after he came to live with us tragedy struck. Him a Kurogane had gone exploring in the woods, about two miles east, to some caves that the villagers thought safe. There was small tremor that day, not even strong enough to knock paintings off walls but in the mountains it must have been stronger. It caused the entrance to cave in, trapping the boy inside and Kurogane outside.

"He raced back to town to alert the villagers and they went with shovels and pickaxes to remove the stones. A full day passed and our family became worried knowing what would happen but we could do nothing, nobody believed us that when the boy was free the first person he would need to see was Kurogane if he was still even human at that point. I felt it when the Demon ate his Soul and I looked to Toriho and he knew too. He hurried to round the militia hoping they could stop Gluttony before it ate enough Souls to take it's true form. But that was only a hope."

Gluttony was a demon with no self control, Fai knew. While other Demons could strategically stalk souls and hide, when Gluttony was released it ran rampant.

"There were to many villagers at the cave and they could hardly out run a Demon, let alone one that has no self control. Which is typical of the Gluttony Demons. He managed to eat the Souls of all the town people at the caves. When he hit Nihon we were prepared, the militia had been gathered but Gluttony had taken it's true form by then and quickly did away with most of the militia. I went to face the Demon knowing I was the only one who had a chance at stopping it by hopefully summoning a human possessed by Gluttony. It was the only way.

"I told Kurogane to guard the shop. He was confused he kept hearing me telling his father the boys Soul was gone when it initially happened but that meant nothing to him. After I left he followed, though I was unaware at the time because I as intent on finding Gluttony and summoning a Demon. I took a path that took me behind the Demon and Kurogane took one that planted him directly in it's path. I must have got to my destination first. I remember it being unbearably hot because of all the fires that were catching in the panic. When I got there I got busy summoning, successfully I might add. As soon as the Demon arrived though I felt the presence of a much stronger Demon. I felt Wrath just beyond the Demon and suddenly it's huge body exploded and on the other side of the smoke stood Kurogane clutching his father's sword.

"Wrath was showing him what it could provide my son but I couldn't let my son become possessed. I rushed forward throwing out the only spell I could think of at the time. A memory charm. I locked the memory of that pass year inside of him and without a source of rage to allow for it to take over Kurogane, Wrath relinquished my son. I still don't know what happened that day, though I have an idea."

Fai stared in stunned silence. He gulped, how was a person supposed to process a story like that. Let alone one about a person you hardly knew and who themselves didn't remember it ever happening. "Why did you tell me all this? What am I supposed to do with this information?"

Tsumebe sat on the bed and looked at her hands as she fiddled with them in her lap. She exhaled heavily and looked out the window on the east wall. "It felt right to tell you. I'm not a Dreamseer or a Clairvoyant, but maybe I was in my past life. I'm nothing more than simple Healer and a skilled Spellcaster who happens to be a Link as well. However, even if I can't see the future I know you need to know this."

"One last thing. If a Link has to give their Essence up knowingly how did-"

Tsumebe put her hand up to keep Fai from talking, "Believe me when I say that I don't know. More than a few Demons have come through since then and it has never happened before. All I can say is you must be different."

Fai mulled this over momentarily. He had told Kurogane he would come back but had he really meant it? Part of him had and that same part had fluttered at the thought of talking with a person and not to fulfill an ulterior motive but just to talk. Another part of him, the part who had lived many years and didn't hold on to the optimistic nature of his twenty-two year old body knew that forging any relationship with a human was inviting heartache no matter how platonic that relationship might be.

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AN: As always thank you for taking time to read! And if you can be bothered reviews are always appreciated but not required. I'm thinking the next chapter will be edited by Friday. Also I'm a terrible editor so if there are mistakes don't hesitate to tell me. I tend to make a lot of typos.

In depth critiques are always nice.

Until Friday Loves!

~Mindlessadri


	3. That Which Returns

AN: So I edited this late last night so I am sorry if there are errors. I'll be honest I'm a horrible typer and make mistakes constantly. Other than that thank you for the reviews I try to respond to well thought out ones as much as possible but I've just been so busy with school. But I do appreciate them and the critical feed back.

Nothing more to say other than if you dislike angst you shouldn't read what I write.

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Sleep had been hard to come by the past evening and Fai awoke from his fitful rest just before daybreak. It was now time for him to return to the House of Soul to report to Ashura and probably be handed another assignment. As much as he hated traveling from country to country tracking rogue Essence Snatchers turned Soul Prowlers doing so at least kept him out of the Demon Realm.

The Houses of the Demon Realm were each run by a Demon Keeper. Demon Keepers were, at one point, humans with incredible magical abilities. However in having these abilities they were watched intensely by the Reaper until they demonstrated the one ability that would seal their fate as a Demon Keeper: the ability to create wards. The ability to create and maintain wards allowed for the Keeper to contain large quantities of Demon Souls. Once hand picked by the presiding Reaper he or she extended their youth and longevity seeing as the ability to create wards was extremely rare in a world where magic was already scarce.

Fai threw his legs over the side of the cot and rubbed his head willing away the fogginess of sleep before standing. He had told Tsumebe he would take his leave first thing in the morning and he had no intention of lying to her. He threw his cloak on and upturned the hood as he made his decent down the stairs. He looked towards the curtained doorway and wondered briefly of he should bid farewell to the hunter and his mother, he decided to let them sleep. He pushed the door open the bell overhead quietly acknowledging his leave.

"So you're just going to leave then, huh, idiot?" Kurogane yawned from behind him.

Fai turned to face the other, "I didn't want to disturb the people who treated me so kindly. Besides I told your mother I'd be gone by morning."

The other nodded in some sort of uninterested recognition and tossed the bread roll he had in his hand ever so slightly. "Which way are you heading?" He stuck the roll in his mouth to allow his hands freedom to adjust the strap of the bag that lay across his jacketed chest.

"Just northeast of here. I left my horse at the stables on that side for the evening."

Kurogane knelled on one knee and tightened the straps of his brown leather boots. He wore loose fitting green pants that were tucked into his boots and a tan jacket. "I'm heading that way too. Might as well go together. Where are you heading to next?"

Well this was inconvenient Fai thought but he smiled politely anyway. "Oh, you know. Wherever the wind takes me, Kuro-chu," he said with a flippant wave of his hand.

"Sounds frivolous," he responded standing. "Well let's get going."

"Oh, Kuro-pon, you don't have to babysit me. I'm perfectly capable of walking across the town by myself. Regardless I hate to think you're missing out on sleep for my sake." Fai batted his eyelashes, hoping to get the man to consent to leaving him be.

Kurogane smirked, "Your sake? Did it ever occur to you that I hunt game to make a living? And this might so happen to be one of the three days a week I stay in the woods? And perhaps once I'm done I'll bring my game back and sell it to the butcher who will clean it and cut it and all that great stuff? And then with my money I'll pay taxes and buy everything else we need to live?"

Outside the air was chill in the dawn. The wind had settled and the air smelled distinctly of fog. "Well Kuro-grump didn't have to be so brash. You could have just told me you were heading to the woods to hunt. But you still don't have to come to the stables with me."

The other rolled his eyes, "I can't consistently hunt in the same area, the herds move as the weather changes. My hunting area is a days journey away. I'll get there later this evening, hunt the next day, and leave the following morning. In other words, I'm going there to get my horse."

Leaving Kurogane was becoming increasingly difficult. He could always leave his horse but that wouldn't do. "What do you hunt?"

"Mostly stuff that isn't being bred. Venice, duck, turkey, the occasional predator." Kurogane side glanced Fai. "The occasional demon."

Fai's blood ran cold and it must have showed because Kurogane stopped smiling and frowned. "I'm just kidding. It's not like demons are real. Even if my mother thinks they are." He coughed to clear his throat.

"But what if they were? What if somebody became a Demon to save a person they love?" Fai questioned quietly.

"It wouldn't matter. If the legends are true, anything that needs to feed off a persons soul deserves nothing but death."

It was Fai's turn to smirk. Death wasn't easy to come by as a Demon. They could only be killed by another Demon's hand and even then they were only killed if they began hunting Souls. In those cases though the Soul didn't pass on seeing as it was consumed. When he had first become possessed he had thought he would end his life when his brother died only to find that he either continue to live or have his Soul obliterated while knowing he was unleashing a Soul Prowler into the world. Live guilty or die guiltier. "There are worse punishments than death Kuro-pon."

"But it's the only permanent one." They were approaching the square from the previous night. Just beyond it they would find the stables, while the town was rural and small it was compact enough that those that lived within it weren't exactly land holders.

Fai smiled solemnly. "One would think, wouldn't they?"

"Um, yeah." Kurogane scratched the back of his head. Leave it to him to bring up death as a topic of conversation first thing in the morning. "So, uh, your wrist," he stated glancing at the bit of white bandage that peeked through the cuff of Fai's white shirt, "does it feel better?"

Instinctively, Fai tugged the cuff of his shirt down around the bandage. He hadn't bothered to check but there had been no throbbing that morning and it hadn't given him a problem as of yet so he was sure it had healed. They were approaching the stables now, upon seeing them the hands already working retreated to where the horses were kept to saddle them for their owners. "I'm sure I'll be fine! It doesn't even hurt! Kuro-nurse did such a wonderful job bandaging it."

"I should have asked my mom to look at it this morning. She would no more about it than I would. Or at least she would have been able to give you something in case it did hurt." He felt a blush, however small, coming on and tried to repress it. Why did he care so much?

"Oh Kuro-kun doesn't have to worry about me! I've been taking care of myself for a long time," Fai assured him by lightly patting his shoulder just as one of the stable boys brought his horse out by it's bridle. The horse snorted in recognition and the blond pet his snout. He put one foot in a stirrup and hoisted himself into the saddle.

Kurogane's horse followed soon after and the pair didn't bother with any greeting, the horse probably to disciplined to ask for affection. "Just because you've been taking care of yourself for a long time does not mean you're any good at it."

"Aw, Kuro-myu has no faith in me. How disheartening," the blond replied as the other situated himself in his own saddle.

Kurogane scowled, "Whatever. Just be careful you idiot."

"Will do Kuro-pu. I guess this is goodbye for now then," Fai said gently nudging the horses side.

Kurogane's hand reached out and caught the blond's arm before he could stop it. His face was set in a deep scowl when Fai looked at him but there was something genuinely soft about it, nearly child-like. "When exactly do you plan on returning. Not that it matters but I usually only stay in town two or three nights before heading back out to hunt."

Fai knew what Kurogane was trying to say: that should he return to come on a night when he wasn't off hunting in the woods. "I'm not sure. But you'll know when I do. I'm sure of it." Fai gave the other a small reserved smile before clucking his tongue to urge the horse into a canter towards the woods.

He kept the canter up until he and his horse had made it far enough into the woods that they would be blanketed by the trees. He glanced around himself cautiously to make sure the hunter hadn't followed them. Fai clicked his tongue twice and tightened his grip on the reigns as the horse began to steadily gather speed. The trees began to blur past and he knew they were going fast enough that he could open the portal to the Demon Realm when they began to pass through the trees. He fingered the edge of his boot and pulled forth a small dagger and gripped the bladed end in his fist. Fai straightened himself against the onslaught of wind, incredibly grateful horses from the Demon Realm had the ability to pass themselves and their rider through solid objects. His hair wiped in his face as he used the other hand to quickly pull the dagger from his other, tightly clenched hand. He felt blood pool in his fist and when enough had gathered he threw if forward in front of the running beast with such force that it landed one-hundred meters in front of them. The blood stopped midair and rapidly it expanded to reveal a portal. The horse charged through and behind it, the momentary blood portal collapsed.

~o~

It had been three months since he had see Fai. Not that Kurogane cared. In the beginning, when they had first met a little more than a year ago, he had looked so forward to the blond returning that he began staying in town four nights before going out again. Fai had said he would know when he returned, but what the hell did that mean? At the time he hadn't known what it meant, at least.

Kurogane sat at the bar of the local tavern all day he had felt anxious, like at any moment something would happen: good or bad. He took his second shot of whiskey for the evening, three was his limit and then he had to switch to beer, something he began once he learned Fai could drink him under the table.

Goddammit, he slammed the shot glass on the bar and grunted against the warm sting traveling along his throat. Why did he even care so much? It wasn't as if he and the idiot had shared any particularly spectacular moments. That was a blatant lie, and Kurogane knew it the moment he thought it because the sensation of Fai's lips on his and the memory of his arms wrapped around a slim waist rushed back to him with a vengeance.

He would come to town and the first thing Fai would do was go to bed with somebody. Kurogane wasn't sure if all the women in town were especially loose or if Fai just had a way, and he didn't want to know. The two of them would drink, and the next morning he would watch silently as Fai retreated into the woods. Every time the other man left it was jarring, and he suddenly felt empty. However, the particular night replaying in Kurogane's mind had been different. Fai had shown up later than usual the previous night and had, for the first time decided to stay for the entire next day. By that time he had accepted that he was strongly attracted to Fai but attraction and emotional attachment were two separate beasts and he was much less willing to accept and tame the second. That late spring evening though he had acted, be it the alcohol or the summer heat that influenced him as they left the bar the next night Kurogane had pushed Fai into an ally pinning him against a wall. He wouldn't force the blond to do anything, he knew better than most the idiot could hold his own due to some surprisingly well matched arm wrestling events.

He had looked into Fai's frighteningly blue eyes as he ran one hand up the side of Fai's cheek to brush stray hair out of the blond's face as he felt Fai's long fingers run up the front of his shirt over his pectorals. Of all the times to be silent the moron had chosen that moment, all Kurogane had to go off of was body language. Fai didn't seem disgusted or scared just nervous (made evident by his visible gulp and aversion of his eyes after a moment), which the man standing over him would never admit to have also been at that moment.

Kurogane tilted Fai's chin up and couldn't help that his heartbeat quickened as the other's cheeks dusted pink and his lips went slightly slack causing his bottom lip to slightly protrude. He had watched Fai go after and catch enough partners that he knew the blond didn't blush when it came to moments like these. He was always so sure of himself. Just then he felt Fai's hand on his neck and he took it as a sign to continue. Slowly they broke eye contact as their eye lids slid closed and the distance between their lips lessened.

Kurogane had quite literally dreamed about kissing Fai before, and in those dreams everything progressed so slowly that he was plagued to wake up before they progressed any further. If this was a dream though he wasn't about to sit idly by while he felt he had some control over the situation. He aggressively pushed his way past Fai's lips, not that the blond wasn't entirely compliant. Fai had tasted of that sweet cherry flavored alcohol he had ordered and though he generally avoided anything overly sweet he gladly welcomed the taste. They had been kissing for milliseconds it seemed, not long enough, when Fai's once relaxed body that he was holding became tense and he was forcefully pushed away. Kurogane had been so caught off guard that he tripped over his own feet and landed on the opposite side of the thin alley.

"Sorry, Kuro-sama. But I don't think that's a good idea," Fai said through a gross, fake smile that made his skin crawl. To shocked and utterly embarrassed to speak he had been powerless to stop Fai when he quickly added, "I should be leaving tonight instead of in the morning as usual I've aready stayed to long as it is. I'll see you next time." Fai walked away quickly, as if he didn't want to give Kurogane a chance to talk, but the taller would be dammed if that was about to happened. It had taken him a moment but he was on his feet calling after what had almost been his blond but when he reached the main street Fai had turned onto he found no one. Dammed he was.

Thinking about this was pissing him off. That was it! If Fai didn't walk through that door in the next ten seconds Kurogane decided to give up on ever seeing him again, that bastard couldn't just leave for three months and expect Kurogane to wait like some house wife. Ten. Nine. Seriously the idiot was consuming his thoughts and he hadn't even seen him in roughly ninety day, he should be preoccupied with chasing skirts for Christ sake, just like him! Eight. He was a fit formidable young man, any woman would be lucky to have him! Seven. Six. Who was he kidding even if Fai didn't walk through the door he would still think about him. Five. Four. Three. No he wouldn't because he was a man and not some stupid school girl with a crush. Two. He was nearly liberated, this felt right. One. But those soft lips on his... Zero.

The bell rang as the door to the tavern opened and the blond came waltzing back into his life. His cheeks were pink from the cold and his skin seemed even paler than Kurogane remembered. He had been so close too, but now he was instantly sucked back up in Fai.

"Kuro-pu!" Fai shouted across the bar once he spotted the taller.

Kurogane reddened, why had he missed the idiot again? "Shut up! I'm a man not a dog!" He shouted back automatically. There were scattered snickers around him which he silenced with hardened glances.

The blonde made his way over, his navy blue cloak swinging with his steps and showing of embroidered gold designs. Now that the weather was colder his clothes had adjusted accordingly. He had replaced the billowing fabric of his pants from their first meeting with skin tight black leather that still ran into equally black boots. His loose white shirt traded for a warm looking navy jacket that strapped across the front, probably entirely to difficult to remove.

"But Kuro-puppy would make such a good pet," Fai mused sitting alongside him at the bar.

Fai smiled happily at him as he scowled back. "I thought you said you'd be back soon."

"I know I did," he huffed, "but work got so hectic that I couldn't sneak away to see Kuro-needy and Kuro-mama."

"I thought there would be a letter or even a fucking carrier pigeon. This entire day all I felt was anxious and annoyed but then here you come walking through the door as if you never left." Kurogane held his shot glass up in irritation to alert the bartender he needed another.

Fai's smiled dimmed, "So you knew I was coming. How cute."

It was true, Kurogane had know Fai would be arriving today just like he always had since the blond had first left. The entire day he would be on edge, but he would never admit that he 'knew' because that would just make him insane. "Cute? I'm not cute. I'm manly or even handsome would be better than 'cute'. Cute is what you call a child." The barkeep poured Kurogane another whiskey.

"You are but a child by comparison. I'll have a bottle of raspberry vodka please," the blond alerted the bartender casually. "Now why is Kuro-cute so grumpy? I came back didn't I?"

"Tch. You're only twenty-two.." Kurogane mumbled. "That hardly matters now thatyou came back. Now the problem is that you are so unwaveringly annoying."

Fai batted his eyelashes, "Now there HAS to be a way I can make it up to you Kuro-tan."

Kurogane chocked on his whiskey. Fai couldn't possibly be suggesting anything like _that_ could he? He hated their relationship. Kurogane hated how Fai could so easily flirt with him especially after what had happened. "Um, well, I don't know." Jesus he sounded like a teenager going through puberty and he felt similarly awkward at the obvious innuendo.

Fai began to look around the bar, it wasn't like Kurogane was going to feed him so he might as well find both of them some reasonable prospects. Nowadays he at least tried to replenish his Essence before seeing Kurogane but today's schedule hadn't allowed for it. "Kuro-pon, look behind me. Do you see those lovely ladies sitting at the corner table?"

"Yeah what about them?" Fai watched irritation flash in the other's eyes complimented by betrayal.

Fai glanced behind himself again, they were both equally attractive but he was more interested in their escort and tall brunette man who radiated Lust. "Which one do you find more attractive. The busty blond or the busty brunette?"

Kurogane snarled, "Does it even matter? I mean they're both obviously prostitutes hired by that man."

Fai smiled back at him, "Soon enough he won't need them." He stood and to his surprise Kurogane put up little fight in following him after downing the shot the bartender had poured him. "I need you to help me, Kuro-handsome," he lied. He could do what he needed to regardless but he felt guilty leaving Kurogane when he understood that watching him do this only hurt the other. "I'm going to chat up the brunette while you talk to the other two." He figured he at least owed him an opportunity for sexual relief if he was going to be forced to watch him seduce another, and another man at that. He could almost hear Kurogane's questions upon his return later.

"Wait so you're having me distract the man and the blond so you can get with the brunette?" It irked Kurogane that this situation didn't bother him more. Well, that was partially inaccurate. He was bothered that Fai had the intention of having sex with a random stranger but some unexplainable part of him understood that the blond needed to do this, even though he wondered why he couldn't chose him. At least once. The thought that Fai was refusing him in order to preserve their friendship was believable but pissed Kurogane off all the same. He wouldn't let himself be just another conquest so he had no fear of being tossed aside after sex or allow for their relationship to stay as is in that case.

Fai froze momentarily before continuing to the other side of the bar where the three others were located, "No. I should have been more clear. You talk to the ladies and I'll talk to their escort. If you want I can make sure both go home with you."

Kurogane's eyes narrowed, Fai's voice had sounded downtrodden as he spoke but he couldn't bring that up now, not as Fai plastered a brilliantly dazzling smile and casually placed his hand on the man's shoulder. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as fury built inside of him. He hated that Fai was touching this scum, that he was laughing so easily, that the man laughed with him, how Fai looked pained and guilty. But he couldn't stop it, the gut feeling that told him Fai needed this wouldn't let him. And what would he do anyway? Pull Fai away, snarl at the guy for his obvious attraction to the blond, beat him for his equally obvious intentions? Both of their smiles disgusted him, the man's lustful and lecherous, Fai's a mix of all the emotions generated by shame.

"Kurogane," the name sounded so wrong floating on Fai's light and airy laugh but it successfully snapped the larger out of his lull. The blond's smile fell only a fraction of a centimeter when Kurogane returned his gaze with a cold a hardened one. "These lovely ladies here," he motioned to them with a wave of his hand, "were just commenting on how quite and handsome a guy like you is."

He cleared his throat, "Why should I talk when I have nothing to say?" Kurogane took this opportunity to realize he was the only one standing. Fai was mindlessly rubbing circles across the man's hand beneath the table.

"Well, Kurogane, it's only proper to compliment such beautiful ladies after they have complimented you. Or at the very least ask their names."

Kurogane felt childish, like he was being led around by the hand. He was a man goddammit and was very well aware as to how to interact with women if he chose to do so. However currently he was more concerned with Fai's confusing decent into _this_. Awkwardly, he pulled a chair out for himself and sat down while mumbling a half ass compliment of, "You both look very lovely this evening." He wasn't lying, both women were pretty and had their youth and when they smiled warmly at him, probably for his attempt at flattery, he almost forgot they were prostitutes. "What are your names?" He asked feigning ignorance as Fai began running his fingers through the man's hair. He resisted the urge to break something and pushed the thought that Fai should be running his fingers through his hair out of his mind.

"I'm Summer and this is Susan," answered the blond female and both of them batted their eyelashes.

Quite honestly, he had no idea how to reply to this or what to say next so part of him was relieved when he felt Fai's hand on his shoulder. Fai leaned down so his mouth was right next to Kurogane's ear, "Kuro-pon," he whispered his hot breath sending shivers down Kurogane's spine. "Me and Jeremy are going to get out of here for a little while. I'll meet you back here in an hour." There was a brief pause, beside him he heard Fai lick his lips, "I'm sorry."

Kurogane's mouth went dry taking away his ability to speak. To protest. Fai wasn't smiling when he turned his head, their noses almost touching, instead he looked like a man who was about to take part in a business deal, calculating._ Do something, don't let the idiot leave!_

Fai looked pointedly at Summer and Susan who were busy listening to Jeremy make his own excuses to leave. "Take the next hour and enjoy yourself." He smiled and Kurogane loathed it.

He watched in silence as Fai left the bar. He had no right to be angry, he had no claim to the idiot, as the blonde had made clear previously, but a large part of him wanted to envelop the blond in his arms, hold him close, and protect him from the world and whatever made him smile so unemotionally. _One hour _the blond had said and it was already feeling like an eternity.

From across the table Kurogane heard a snort. "Jeez I can't believe you let him leave with Jeremy."

"I couldn't believe it either!" Susan replied. "I thought you were going to sweep him into your arms and carry him away like in one of those romance novels!"

"Oh shut it Susan. You imagine everything as a romance novel," Summer laughed and looked at Kurogane.

"I have no idea what you two are talking about," Kurogane defended through clenched teeth though his red ears gave him away.

The two women looked at each other and cackled. "Of course you don't. Just like you don't want to rip Jeremy's throat out for all the indecent things he's about to do to your blond. I'm sorry _the _blond."

"This doesn't concern you," he stuttered in embarrassment. Was he really that obvious?

Summer waved a hand dismissively and sat back in her chair, "Regardless, both of us have already been paid for the evening. Courtesy of your friend. Why don't you use us to take your mind off him? We'll even let you do it from behind if it helps."

"Yeah, a big strong man like you should have no trouble pleasing the two of us and we certainly won't have any trouble pleasing you as much as you want for the next hour," Susan added raising her eyebrows.

Kurogane creased his forehead in irritation. Of course Fai would do something like this. But, how long had it been since he had felt the warmth of another, man or woman, in his bed after the most precious embrace? He had stopped pursuing anybody after he had first met Fai, the decision hadn't been a conscious one. Honestly, he was tired of shower fantasies and late night messes. Despite what part of him craved to do he couldn't feasibly wait around for Fai forever.

He cleared his throat and coughed into a closed fist, "Did he pay for a room too?"

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Um, because I haven't had a lot of time thanks to my slave driving English and Gov't classes I'm only going to be updating once a week instead of twice.

So I guess you'll have to wait for Fai and his inner monologue and insight until next week! YAY!

Reviews are never needed but always appreciated. :)


	4. That Which Departs

AN: Well I don't know what happened guys. I thought the last chapter was interesting but maybe it wasn't as I don't know compelling as I thought. But it's okay reviews aren't required but always appreciated and so I guess it's probably my lack of something that brought home no reviews critical or otherwise. I mean I don't want to sound like I'm complaining, I really don't, but at the same time I'm just confused and it feels kind of crappy. But I don't doubt my modest talent as a fanfiction writer so I'm not going to dwell on it anymore because it's not worth it.

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On to better news! New chapter! It's a bit shorter than the last but it accomplishes so much more than it. I will always apologize for my lack of editing skills and I'll tell you I am a terrible typist. On to OC and Fai sex! Oh and time skippy bullshit ensues.

The dark room was quiet except for the sound of skin hitting skin and their heavy breathing as Fai impaled himself on Jeremy. Fai could sense the Lust within Jeremy climbing and nearly ready to peak, as it always did when a human was on the brink of orgasm. It was like the person's Essence became over powered with the sin he was seeking and while it was momentarily consumed the type of Essence he sought was at it's purest form, primal and raw with the need for ecstasy.

Beneath him Jeremy groaned and tightened his grip on Fai's hips, Fai was sure they would bruise at least for an hour or two before his skin would be flawless again. Suddenly, he sensed it, the last shred of humanity, decency, self-awareness, leave the poor man's body. Just as quickly had the moment happened Fai summoned his long, extended claws from the tip of his fingers. He joined the tips together to form a point right below Jeremy's sternum.

The man beneath him looked at the claws horrified and Fai's eyes became gold and slitted with his own unsexually driven desire. A light began to glow below Fai's claws causing the skin to become almost like a liquid so he could plunge his elongated fingers into the other without causing harm. The skin flowed smoothly around the invading appendages as Fai searched for the Soul where the Essence would be easiest to draw from. Finding it Essence began to flow from one to the other with no reciprocation. After a few brief, passing moments Jeremy was very nearly drained and Fai still had a longing for more, reluctantly Fai removed his claws marveling at how the skin returned to it's solid state. Jeremy looked at him pleadingly as he let out a small, strangled cry of pain and then he lost consciousness just like they always did.

Fai licked his claws clean of the invisible substance coating them before letting his hand return to normal. Normally he took even less from a person but the man's soul was tainted with evil and so he felt less guilty in leaving him as a nearly hollow husk. He removed himself from the man and began refastening the straps of his shirt that had become undone. As usual he hadn't gotten release, in fact he had barely gotten aroused. While in the past he had never been necessarily excited by having sex yet again he had never had issues performing, not until Kurogane had kissed him.

Now fully dressed and sitting on the edge of the bed he put his fingers to his lips as the memory brought back the smallest amount of sensation. It had been the first kiss in his entire life, human or Demon life, that had made his heart beat with such intensity. Passion had built within him, a longing he could not remember feeling in recent centuries. He craved it even now; the feeling of wanting and being wanted. However as soon as Kurogane's lips had touched his he began to rob the other of his Essence. Never had been able to do that by something as simple as a kiss, without clouding Essence with Lust, or with out invasively taking it. His Essence had been more powerful, more filling than any he had ever had in the past (he attributed all these abnormalities to Kurogane's Link heritage) and he momentarily lost himself in it only to pull back startled because he was _taking_ Kurogane's Essence. He had watched him intently, hoping that that he would feel Kurogane regenerate what he had lost and when he failed to do so he had panicked and left. He watched Kurogane the rest of the night and most of the early morning hoping against all odds that his Essence would regenerate. It didn't take long for him to before concede that being with Kurogane would only serve to drain him even if he was a Demon Link, and he couldn't bring himself to do that. No matter how painfully aware he was he had hurt Kurogane tonight and no matter how much he wanted to do what would drain the other he would not give in as long as the other had a life to live ahead of him.

Fai pulled on his cloak and left the rented room through it's second story window, landing quietly on the cobble-stoned street beneath him. It had been nearly an hour as it was. Though he had paid for the two prostitutes he had hardly expected Kurogane to take them to bed and so when he entered the bar to find that his companion wasn't there he did his best to stop the cold, sick feeling twisting in his chest. The thought of leaving crossed his mind, wouldn't it be to painful to see Kurogane at this point? He had no time to make a decision though as Kurogane placed a hand on his shoulder, "I thought I would make it back before you. You normally don't know what 'an hour' means."

He seemed taller for some reason and less sullen Fai noted. His tongue felt thick as he searched for words and when he found them he said them with a biting tone, "Welcome back, Kurogane."

The other stiffened, Fai had only ever referred to him that way in front of his prospects and was it naïve of him to think that it had been because Fai hadn't wanted to share the affectionate names with others? Should he call the idiot out on it or let it pass? Deciding on the path of least resistance he replied, "Why don't we sit and you can finally drink that sugary shit you ordered earlier."

The two sat at the bar towing the seemingly tense atmosphere with them. The bottle Fai had ordered earlier was pulled out from beneath the bar and handed to him without question from the bartender who recognized them. Kurogane watched as Fai nursed the bottle, not even bothering with a glass, and his face shifted from somehow dangerous smiles to contemplative scowls.

Fai couldn't possibly be upset that he had accepted his underhanded offer, could he? But that's what it seemed like. It looked to be that he was brooding privately for his own actions. After a few minutes of ever increasing awkward silence Kurogane broke, "Oi, Idiot, are you upset with me?"

Fai looked up, his face shifted into a hollow smile, "No. Why would I be upset at you, Kurogane? You only ever call me an idiot and tell me how annoying I am. Tell me why do you even keep me around?"

His voice had remained light as if they were about to have a normal conversation but it carried venom with it that upturned Kurogane's stomach. His eyebrows knitted together with disbelief and he crossed his arms defensively over his broad chest. "Where did that come from?" He spit out the question through clenched teeth, an attempt at remaining quiet. The last thing he wanted was to cause a scene, unlike Fai he didn't have the benefit of being a drifter, he lived here. However, he wasn't going to drop this, how was he supposed to know what he had done wrong if Fai was just going to point fingers?

Fai upturned his bottle and his throat moved rhythmically as he absorbed half of what was left inside. "I think I should just leave. I have nothing left to say to you."

Screw scenes the uncontainable urge to capture Fai and keep them together boiled over and translated to anger. "What the hell do you mean?" He demanded a little louder than intended drawing stares from some of the closer patrons of the bar.

"Oh please Kurogane, people are staring," Fai scoffed pushing the door of the tavern open and letting it swing shut. He could break into a run and be to the stables sooner than Kurogane could push the door open behind him. But he didn't run and he knew it was because he wanted the other to follow him just as much as he wanted to yell hurtful things but not nearly as much as he wanted to crush Kurogane's body to his in an attempt to absorb him to keep him forever.

Now that they were outside Kurogae let his voice reign. "What the _fuck _was that Fai? You know very well why I _try _to keep you around, but I can't even do that because every time you come here I have to watch you leave! I don't understand why you're so upset."

"Oh! You don't understand?" Fai asked with malice.

"No I don't!" He said making wild hand gestures as he shouted.

Fai stepped forward till his face was close to Kurogane's. He was shorter than the man by a few inches so he had to look up as he said, "Maybe you can think about it the next time you're fucking some street walker." The idea of them touching his chest, navigating the contours of his pectorals with their tongues as they descended ever closer to the part he dreamed of on the rare occasion he dreamed; the idea of him touching them gently with calloused fingertips: it disgusted him, mostly because of the jealousy he felt.

"Is that what this is fucking about!" Kurogane let out a grunt of disbelief. "You paid for them and you even insisted that I have fun! I will not be made to feel sorry for my first fuck since I met you! I wanted to make us something and you said it was a bad idea and I respected that and now you're upset with me because I made some attempt at happiness without you?"

Fai threw his hands away from himself, "You weren't supposed to accept!"

"And why not? It's not like I can have the one I really want! If anything I should be upset because every time you come into town I have to sit idly by as some other person takes you to bed!" He shouted over Fai.

The blond's mouth gaped, he had known Kurogane had felt that way but he hadn't accounted for the other throwing his feelings in his face. "That's different! I have to do that, though I couldn't expect you to understand."

Kurogane zeroed in on Fai and took him by he shoulders, "Then make me understand you moron!"

Fai's disposition changed and he hung his head. His fringe hid his eyes from view, "How can you understand that it's useless falling in love with a man whose existence is fleeting, at best?" He shrugged Kurogane off and couldn't bring himself to look at the man's face to gauge his reaction.

His arms fell to his sides and more quietly than he thought himself capable of speaking Kurogane said as he chocked over the frustrated lump in his throat, "Your existence is just as fleeting as mine."

This comment struck Fai, it served to remind him how clueless Kurogane was. He looked up with a large disarming smile, "My existence will only serve to hurt you. And I'd rather cease to exist than do that."

Kurogane rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands, "I won't _let_ you cease to exist, idiot," he said with surprising reverence, clarity, and sincerity.

It was the most profound thing that any person had ever said to him and it nearly made him melt or rush to Kurogane to hold him together because the human, a man who had barely begun life and knew not of heartbreak was experiencing just that. But he couldn't, though he hadn't started this argument with the intent of distancing himself from the other it had become nakedly apparent that parts of the things he had said were true. Kurogane was human and he would remain frozen at twenty-two. "You don't mean that. And you don't want me," Fai countered evenly. "I'm leaving now. Don't follow me." Seeing Kurogane cry, or at least shed tears for him, was the hardest thing he had had to walk away from in recent years.

Slowly, steadily Fai began to walk towards the stables. He counted the clicking of his heels against the cobblestones to regulate his breathing. "So that's it!" Kurogane yelled from behind him, he had thought they were done so he couldn't help the sharp intake of breath he took.

"Yeah. That's it Kurogane." They stared at each other for a few short moments even though they seemed to drag on for centuries. He envied Kurogane's youth in that moment, sometimes it was easy to forget you were, in most respects, immortal when there was a person around to breathe new life into you. But the man looked so innocent behind his dejected and hurt appearance and he tried to tell himself that at least in the time he knew Kurogane he had taught him a lesson even if he wouldn't see it now: heartbreak is an essential part of growing up. He had so much growing left to do. Maybe in a year or two Kurogane would find a suitable partner and he would feel this strongly again, that was all he could hope for now. He knew he would probably never feel the same about another again. He would learn from the mistake of becoming to close to a mortal body and never become this close to anyone. "I hope, from the depths of my heart, that you have a happy life."

Once out of sight the cobblestones did little to quell the twisting pain around this heart and the weight on his chest.

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AN: So how are your tables doing? Don't flip them all. I don't know if this even had that kind of emotional impact. I really hope you aren't flipping tables it's probably dangerous and you might throw out your back. Oh Lord I'm drained. I haven't been sleeping well lately not that this affects you excepts right now because I'm rambling about it in my delirious state.

On to the matter at hand, this fic is really Kuro centric so if you really hate me writing angsty Fai the next chapter is angsty Kurogane so look forward to that. Um, I'm probably only going to be able to update every 5-7 days a week right now because surprisingly my classes senior year have decided to be a cantankerous sore on an elephants ass: unpleasant. I did not account for this much work though I probably should have I guess. So I'm doing this so I have time to try and edit as best as possible and also so that I give myself enough time to write the ending which is currently a WIP. This is also why your chapters are so short. Normally my chapters are anywhere from 10-13 pages and well this fic isn't long enough to support that without going to a chapter by chapter basis.

Lastly, reviews are never required but always appreciated. Seriously.


	5. That Which Passes

AN: Hello my beautiful viewers! So college is kicking my ass. I'm not IN college but applications are rough and rather time consuming to the point where I'm stressing myself into headaches. I've had constant headaches for about 12 days now and well just be patient.

Anyway, I edited this in the midst of a headache and it probably isn't done well because of this. I have the aching suspicion my sentences will be hard to follow in this chapter.. more so than my terrible grammar already makes them.

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Months had passed since Fai had walked away from him that night turning late fall to late winter. The signs of spring were beginning to show, the snow came less frequently, green could be seen in the low valleys and a few early risers had awakened in the forest. Still Kurogane remained in town more often than he had before, shortly after Fai had left his mother had fallen ill. The two events were hardly related but it made Kurogane brim with anger towards Fai all the more - probably for not being there.

That really had been it. The blond hadn't come back and Kurogane had only begun to accept the truth after the first of the year had passed. There had been no anxious days in which he could swear Fai was on the path leading from the port city to town on his way to see him. Now, though, everyday he grew increasingly more dismayed as his heart tried to accept that Fai would not return.

Currently he was at the blacksmith's shop having his various throwing knifes, blades, and arrows sharpened or otherwise tended to. Winter was not a season to hunt in, the biting cold in the mountains was known to freeze men not to mention there was no game, so on the brink of spring he was preparing to head out again. In those months since he had last been to the forest he had taken care of his mother as best he could: making watery soup that he filled with herbs he recognized she had used when he was a boy; mixing various plants into salves, medicines, lotions, ect. for sale in the shop; and picking up the majority of the household chores.

Tsumebe had gotten better in the smallest of ways. Fatigue didn't catch up to her so easily and the coughing had become less frequent, her body bruised less though it was hard to tell weather that was true or bruises were just forming over old ones. Yet she still insisted in helping the crazy people who came to see here with infections from another world, and because he loved his mother he carried her up the stairs, gathered what she needed, and waited patiently at the bottom of the steps arms crossed throwing knifes strapped to his sides just in case these fools were telling the truth and a monster sprang forth with ill will. He wasn't a believer but the idea that he could be wrong and his mistake could cost his mother's life kept him cross-legged at the foot of the steps.

"Why don't you head over to the bar? I know I said I'd be done by sundown but I'm going to need another hour," the black smith said returning from his furnace and wiping a hand across his forehead.

Kurogane scowled, he had a pot on the stove and had left his mother in bed besides he liked to avoid the tavern as much as possible. Even coming here was a burden for him seeing as it was in the square where he had first met Fai and they had last spoke. "I don't have time to drink in public."

The other rubbed his bald head, "Well either find something to keep yourself occupied or go home and come back tomorrow."

He growled with an annoyed expression, "I'll be back in an hour but this better be some brilliant fucking craftsmanship." He would just go home and come back in a hour, he didn't live far and the town wasn't large so the man had probably just assumed Kurogane wouldn't want to venture into the cold again once home.

He began to faithfully follow the path he always took home from the square. He was tired of being stuck. A year had been a lot of time to make memories with the idiot. Everywhere he turned there was a ghost with blond hair running, laughing, pretending to whistle, smiling - _really_ smiling. It was unfair Fai had gotten to leave and forget him and this place; he was bound here and to the memories. Even his home was tainted his kitchen held memories of Fai's cooking. The shop: images of Fai wandering around sniffing herbs and testing lotions. The hallway where they had made it back to his home through a downpour and Fai whined as he shivered from the cold while Kurogane got him a change of clothes, he had never seen the shirt he lent him again. Then there was the bedroom, one night when Fai had arrived particularly late they had ended up sharing a bottle of scotch between them from the backroom and the next morning he had woken up with Fai tucked in his side and his arm wrapped around the blond. At some point they had both removed their shirts, if he remembered correctly it had been because of a short lived game of strip poker. He had pulled Fai closer and the other cracked his eye lid open in slight irritation, obviously hungover, before burying his face in Kurogane's chest. That had been the only time Fai had stayed with him an entire day and he had thought that, if he asked, the blond might stay with him longer. That dream was short lived though when Fai pushed him away later that evening after they had kissed.

It hurt; feeling to many emotions all at once brought on by the onslaught of things he'd rather forget. He realized he couldn't return to his house, not yet anyway. He was brooding now and an attitude like that would hardly benefit his mother's condition. Kurogane felt he had to get away from where he was a go to a place where Fai hadn't tinged his life. His destination seemed almost automatic. The caves outside of town. As a boy he remembered being scared to go there, something about a flesh eating monster living in the cave. But he was a man now and knew better than to believe in the unseen.

The cold of winter was still nipping in the air but he would be fine, he knew these woods like the back of his hand. Besides it was only a twenty minute walk away. He started towards the cave with unparallelled intent, he would go anywhere to escape the menacing thoughts of certain man.

By the time he reached the caves it was nearing dark. The sun was making it's final decent in the distance and provided barely enough light in the fog to make things visible. Thinking about it now he didn't remember ever coming to the caves as a child, just that he had had an unrivaled fear of them and perhaps now he understood why.

The gray stones that made up the caves were eerie, the fog seemed to flow from inside them out into the forest which just made Kurogane think that they went on forever. In the opening of the largest cave large boulders were scattered and appeared to have inhuman teeth marks on them as if the smaller ruble had been bitten from them. On the opening itself large slashes lay inwards making it seem like something had had to find leverage to escape the cave. But perhaps most disturbing of all were the blood stains splattered across the scattered boulders. Still though he pressed on. It occurred to him that he had no weapons but he didn't feel personally threatened either. Instead he just felt the depressing aura surrounding the caves.

He pressed forward into the mouth of the cave, with the already fading light it was hard to see so he found a stick and wrapped one end in dry moss which he coated in alcohol from his flask and lit with flint rocks. Torch now in hand he wandered into the cave carefully. Something about this place screamed to him though he couldn't understand why. Fifty feet into the cave and he was beginning to wonder why he had decided to go in. The cave really did seem to go on forever.

"Kurogane! Kurogane!"

Kurogane whipped his torch around in all directions searching for the owner of the voice. Behind him he saw no one but when he turned to face front again there was a boy sitting against the wall of the cave who couldn't have been more than eight years old. He rushed over to the boy who had his knees pulled to his chest and was sobbing into them. He planted the torch into the soft ground and said, "Hey! Kid. Are you all right? What the hell are you doing here in the middle of winter?"

The child didn't look up only shifted his head to gaze towards the mouth of the cave. "Kurogane will come back. Yeah. He'll come back. Kurogane won't let me turn into a monster." The boy sniffled. "And then we can all travel to the ocean in the summer just like he promised. Me. Him. Tsumebe. And Toriho. One big happy family."

"W-what are you talking about?" Kurogane asked, his voice was tinged with panic. "I'm right here!"

Off in the distance he heard the sound of a stone or something of a similar nature fall against more stone. He grabbed his torch and flashed it deeper into the cave in search of the source of the noise. Seeing nothing he decided it was time to leave. He looked down to where the boy had been only to find and empty space. He looked towards the exit and decided the boy must have gotten up and left, something he felt he should also do. He should at least try to find the kid and walk with him back to the village.

Once he emerged the boy was nowhere in sight. The kid was small, he couldn't have gotten that far. Kurogane put the torch out preferring to walk in darkness. How had that kid know him and even more surprising how had he known his father. He had been nine when his father died so a little kid wouldn't have known his father. The boy had also mentioned his mother, he supposed he could ask her.

It pulled at the back of his mind that maybe he had had a momentary lapse of sanity and imagined the boy but he could hardly believe that. He took the long way back to the village, following a path that let out on the southeastern side of town. His route took him out of his way, yes, but he felt at ease in the wilderness something he hadn't felt in a long time.

The caves had done their job his mind was free.

As Kurogane approached town a familiar scent hit his nose. Fire. A large one. He walked farther and came to the crest of a small hill that over looked the town and he saw the flames licking the buildings at the far end of it. He broke into a run down the well traveled path. His mother. He had to get to his mother and make sure she was all right.

The fire had already consumed the western side of town and as steadily making it's way east. His house lay in the middle portion. He rushed deeper into town and found the heart of the panic. People weren't even attempting to put out the fires they were running towards the square and beyond to the woods. A man, crazed with fear rushed toward him and they collided, Kurogane caught the man by the shoulders to keep him from falling. "What happened?" He demanded with a shake.

"P-p-pillagers! They got through the guard! They're killing everyone! Setting fire to everything!" The man wrenched himself free and ran on.

Kurogane clamped his teeth together, his mother could barely walk to the square let alone run. He could run though and he did. He sprinted through the many back allies figuring the invaders were more likely to be on the main roads. Unfortunately for him the shop's entrance was on main road, he peaked his head around the corner. Fire burned at the end of the street but there were no pillagers in his vicinity as of yet. He dashed to the front entrance of the shop and to his mother's bedroom.

"Kurogane?" She called worriedly when she saw her son in the doorway. "What's going on outside? I heard screaming but I couldn't find the strength to move to know what it was."

He went to his mother's chest at the end of the bed and began pulling out clothes until he found the heaviest robe she had. He helped her sit up and put the robe on all the while saying, "It's okay mom. There's just some fires so I have to get you out of here. I think we'll travel to the port city. They have more medicine there that could help you anyway."

She scowled as he buttoned the front of the heavy fur lined robe, "Kurogane, I'm not a blasted child. You tell me the truth."

"Mom, please don't be difficult. What does it matter anyway?We'll be leaving soon." He called as he walked to the kitchen filling the bag he usually used for hunting with enough food to last at least two days. Normally he would carry it across his back but seeing as he would have to carry his mother he strapped it to his hip. Maybe he could get his horse? No. There was no time even if that was the most convenient way for them to travel. He cursed under his breath as he shoved in the last few items, why hadn't he just gone home?

He went to his room and pulled out a sack of coins, all his savings from the last two years and shoved them in the bag too. Kurogane returned to his mother's room and sat at the edge of her bed. "Get on my back," he demanded in a rushed tone.

"No not until you tell me the truth."

Kurogane growled and barred his teeth in irritation, they were running out of time. "Fine have it your way." He scooped he up in his arms and proceeded to the front of the shop, "The town is being pillaged and the criminals are burning the town." He didn't feel the need to worry her more by saying the people were also murderous.

Panic crossed his mother's face, he had wanted to avoid this he didn't need to set off an attack in the middle of escaping a town under siege. "Wait Kurogane! We can't leave yet!" She clawed at his chest to make him stop.

"Why not?"

She looked beyond herself, completely focused on whatever she was about to ask of him. "Your father's sword, in his shrine I can't leave without it."

He understood while he didn't remember much of his father his mother had loved him and that was the last thing she had left of him. Kurogane set his mother down gently, "Stay right here mom."

Kurogane rushed to his mother's room and to the corner were a small yet elaborate shrine was dedicated to his father. The sword sat sheathed in a stand, he grabbed it and fastened it to his waist. He looked up and startled himself when he saw his father's picture. He had thought he had been looking into a mirror momentarily. Why did this seem so familiar? - the fire and the sword. And his father. He shook it off, now was not the time to contemplate the death of his father.

He entered the front of the shop only to find it empty. His own panic set in, "Mom! Mom where are you?"

Kurogane rushed to the windowed store front and looked out into the burning night. The fires from down the street silhouetted the two figures in the street, a woman and a child. "Shit!"

He rushed outside ready to pry his mother away form the child and get both of them under his arms and away from whatever was coming. The smaller figure was crouched on the ground and his mother knelled beside them. "Mom! What are you doing I told you to-"

The smoke hid the approaching figure well. They seemed to emerge out of nowhere with a horse faster than any Kurogane had ever seen. The moment was over before he could even react. Tsumebe stood with the child's hand in her's as the monster rode up next to her. Out of nowhere the horseman drew his sword and impaled Kurogane's mother from behind. The speed of the horse carried her a few inches before she dropped, lifeless, from the blade with a sickening thud against the ground

Kurogane fell to his knees, but not because he felt weak but because he couldn't see anything but a blinding light. As soon as his mother had died he had felt it explode inside him. Suddenly he felt like a door in his own mind, which he hadn't even known had existed, had been unlocked. All at once he understood the hole in his memories, why he couldn't remember his father, why the caves had bothered him so, the memory he had seen in the cave, and why the fire and the sword had seemed so familiar. It had been just like the night his father had suited up and went to fight the Demon Kurogane had failed to maintain. He knew what he was now, what he had always been. But with the sealed memories came the rage that had fueled the charm that had been cast and broke with the end of his mother's life.

The rage coursed through him as was only doubled by the vision of watching his mother die so brutally. The image of his father's arm dangling from Gluttony's mouth and Ginryuu, his father's sword clattering to the cobble-stoned street in front of him brought with it the hate he had felt then.

His blood felt alive with fire as he stood and he drew Ginryuu from her long sleep. The only things on his mind was the unquenchable thirst for revenge.

He was older than he had been all those years ago when the town burned bright in villager's panic and he had almost let his soul be consumed. He had grown stronger since then, but he still wasn't strong enough. He hadn't been able the only person he had left and he wasn't strong enough to resist.

Kurogane let his soul be consumed by rage. Wrath.

He let out a scream powered with such pain and hatred it shattered windows. Power of the Demon he was accepting into his body. Kurogane gripped the handle of his sword so tightly that the tendons in his arm bulged and his muscles shook with sheer intensity. Ginryuu began to glow brightly and heated to burning hot in Kurogane's hand before melting and encasing Kurogane's arm, from shoulder to fingertips. Without warning the metal was absorbed into Kurogane's skin and the tip of Ginryuu began to forcefully push itself out of Kurogane's palm until she rested in his hand once again.

The man who had murdered his mother in cold blood looked on horrified and launched his horse into a sprint. It was his turn to play the victim.

Kurogane propelled himself at such a speed that his body became angled, his feet pushing him forward and Ginryuu held out and parallel to the ground. He overtook the large beast in speed and stopped about a hundred feet in front of it's path. It had no time to stop or reverse direction at the speed it was going and when Kurogane judged the man to be close enough he sprang into the air. As he descended he inverted his weapon and brought it down through the man's skull, down the scums throat until it rested in the filth's stomach. He pulled the handle towards himself and the blade began popping out of the man's back, breaking ribs when it reached them, and the cut through the skull splitting it in half. The murderer fell from his horse and Kurogane dismounted propelling himself upward and landing in the street.

He hadn't even begun to take his revenge.

~o~

The streets were blood soaked when she appeared. The townsfolk had abandoned it, not that there was much left after the fires. She stood alone in the square, the wind whipping her hair and elaborate kimono.

Kurogane had taken his mother's body with him as he went though the motions of killing, of satisfying Wrath. But now he had calmed and he was crying over his mother's body that lay limp in his hands. Her eyes were dead and her skin cold in the brilliant night alive with flame.

He had killed them. All of them. Even the women and children traveling with them. All of them were dead. Killing one more wouldn't hurt. "Leave me be!" He shouted at the figure.

Still the small shadow approached, slowly. He screamed drawing Ginryuu from his hand he rushed forward only to hit an invisible wall. He banged his fist against the wall that seemed to encircle him. He dropped Ginryuu in panic as the girl walked past his cage and to his mother's body, the sword glowed and returned to his arm. "Don't you fucking touch her! Don't you fucking dare! Get away from her bitch!"

She hardly seemed to consider him and knelt beside Tsumebe. She said a prayer and his mother's body levitated for a moment before a small orb appeared from her chest and she floated back to the ground. "It's time to let your mother's Soul rest Demon Kurogane."

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AN: Oh.. I killed his mother... sorry.

As you probably guessed the girl is Tomoyo. I've actually set up a pretty complex world in the aspect of characters. For example though he never shows up Yukito is the Keeper of the House of Mind and Tomoyo is his apprentice. There are a lot of characters like this, Ashura and Sakura for example.

Anyway could I trouble you to drop a review?

I know I'm an undeserving creep who can't stick to an update schedule so whatever.

Anyway I'm thinking next Thursday or Friday for another chapter.

Oh and... it'll get better I promise.

And by better I mean slightly less angsty.


	6. That Which We Embrace

A/N: Okay so I won't be giving you guys promises anymore. I just recently got a job and I'm still in school and trying to work on college shit so bare with me. On the plus side things are finally going to get better! Angsty Fai ensues... but doesn't he always?

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Kurogane found himself in the port city not far from where Suwa use to be. It was always harder to be in the areas surrounding his homeland because unlike other Demons he hadn't been around long enough to forget his pain. After a while it seemed that most Demons forgot the very reason they had sacrificed their humanity. For him it had been hardly more than six months since his mother's death and almost a year since he had seen Fai. Not that he was keeping track. No he wasn't. He had more important things to worry about being a Demon now. Like stopping rogue Wrath Demons. He simply didn't have time to look for Fai. Which he had done but would never admit to doing.

Surprisingly Demons from different houses scarcely interacted and it was near impossible to get information about active Demons from other houses, once again, not that he had tried. Waking up in some of the deepest chambers in the House of Body he had realized why Fai had been so cautious in their relationship and he could hardly blame him for how he had acted though thinking of what had been said still hurt. He missed him.

As of now he was hunting a Demon and he was running low on Essence. He would finish this poor Soul Prowler off and then hit the streets to deliver some well deserved justice. Kurogane had a rule when he killed: if he had to kill to live he should kill those deserving of death. Rapists and murders were his usual targets. Not to mention they carried with them the most Wrath. Most of the Demons possessed by Wrath were hardly inclined to search for those deserving of Death. Wrath was a force derived from dark, evil passions that took root in a person and those with that particular Demon generally took on this 'evil passion' mask. They enjoyed the kill, the blood, the pure satisfaction of slaughtering and so under normal circumstances they didn't think about their victim just zeroed in on the amount of sin that person possessed. However Kurogane was not a normal circumstance as Tomoyo, the training Demon Keeper at the House of Body. He was more than a human and a Demon. He was part Angel because he was a Demon link.

Tomoyo had explained to him that it was a miracle the part of his Soul that made him a Demon Link hadn't been obliterated when Wrath possessed him. Instead his Soul had made a barrier of sorts in his Essence. Part of his Essence remained inactive meaning it didn't affect his Soul and it's only purpose anymore, as far as he knew, was to protect the small bit on Angel in him from the Demon occupying his body. The other part of his Essence was used to feed the Demon, and it was this part he had to replenish or he would die.

This was another reason why Kurogane was selective in his kill. The more powerful Wrath was in a person the less he had to kill. Unlike other sins, Wrath was one that took root in a person and permanently tainted their Essence so once consumed it lasted longer than say other sins like Lust which were generally passing sins and so they were consumed more quickly.

His plan at this point was to finish off this Demon and find a target to consume. It took a few hours to locate the Demon and it was already late afternoon by the time he did. And an hour later, after a battle on a fishing boat, the sun had set and the Demon was dead. Now he need only do one thing: find a suitable victim.

He found them all to soon. When hunting it seemed that people full of Wrath emanated a scent so vile and disgusting that he would go insane had he not destroyed it. Kurogane followed the most pungent of the scents in the air to find a child murderer in the middle of further defiling the dead corpse of a young girl. The man was dead before he spoke.

Kurogane, in need of a drink after what he had just witnessed, went to a bar towards the outskirts of the city. He had every intention of returning to the Demon Realm that evening and would need the cover of the forest to create his blood portal home. He walked in and took a seat at the crowded bar and ordered a shot of their strongest. He winced as it burned down his throat and he brought the shot glass down onto the counter pointing at it for another.

Once he had taken his second shot and shook off the burn he felt something he hadn't felt in a long time. It was a familiar tugging in his chest that had only ever been proceeded by, well, him. Why was his body doing this to him, Fai was _not _coming back. He had stated so clearly but the anxious, on-edge feeling that he usually got when Fai was coming had onset so suddenly that it had surprised him. He was not going to stick around for this bullshit, he could go home and fantasize about old ghosts rather than panic about them in public. Kurogane threw his cloak over his shoulder because he couldn't find the time to put it on; the crowd was getting to him and making him hot anyway.

He pushed the door open and made an abrupt left successfully knocking over whoever he had just run into. The tension he had felt in the bar ebbed away just like it always had when he had finally seen Fai after a day of that anxious feeling. His eyes widened and he could feel his heartbeat quicken. Two things were going through his mind: one; he was either about to see Fai again and he would not under any circumstances let the idiot get away from him, two; the person he had just run was probably not Fai and he was most likely never going to see the blond again. He didn't want to look up because he didn't want to know but he did anyway.

Blue eyes peered back into his own, wide and surprised. "Kurogane. What are you doing here?" Fai got himself to his feet and stared at the man something was different. The man _felt _different in presence; had he felt Kurogane he never would have come this way. It clicked with him when he met Kurogane's eyes. They were red as blood, fire, fury, wrath. Fai, unable to stop himself, rushed forward and took Kurogane's face between his hands and brought his face level with his, "What did you do!" He demanded angrily.

Kurogane reached up and peeled Fai's hands away from his face angrily. "I did what I had to do. Nobody does this if it's not what they _have _to do." What right did the blond have to demand answers from him?

"D-do you even understand what you are now!" Fai looked horrified as he again reached for Kurogane's face, this time specifically for his eye, this time much less urgently. He set his hand on Kurogane's face gingerly, as if afraid to confirm what he knew.

The taller closed his eyes and sighed. "Yes I do," he replied and Fai ran his thumb over Kurogane's eyelid.

"Why did you do it? I left so that you could lead a _normal _human life and you repay me by doing this? This is the exact opposite of what I wanted for you!" Fai took his hand away abruptly and Kurogane opened his eyes. They were beginning to draw attention from the various people filtering in and out of the bar and walking along the streets. "What could have possibly driven you to _this_?"

The way Fai gestured at him as he said this brought only irritation. He wasn't a child and was more than capable to accept what he had resigned himself to and what had brought him to the decision he had made. "She died. They killed her you bastard! Don't stand there and imply that her _life_, my_ mother's _life, was not worth the price I payed to avenge her."

Fai shrunk back, his once anger filled resolve dissipated. "Kuro-s-, excuse me, Kurogane, I-I didn't know." He really didn't. It's not as if he understood in that one sentence what had happened but he didn't want to risk pressing the issue.

"That's right you didn't know. You left." It felt good to be angry and release his frustration of nearly the last year on to it's source. But he had nothing left to say, pointing out the obvious had satisfied him.

Fai slumped against the wall of the pub they were outside of and licked his lips, his mouth was suddenly dry. "D-do you want to talk? Not here I mean."

Kurogane relaxed his shoulders and, as a result, he became less intimidating. Common sense told him that going with Fai wasn't he best idea. All the months he had spent forgetting the idiot would be a waste – more like they were already a waste. He looked back to Fai who peered at him timidly, as if he was having the exact same thought. "Yeah. Let's go inside."

An hour later Fai was nursing his sweet alcohol and Kurogane was on his fifth shot. Up until this point they had been making idle small talk at a table in the crowded bar. It wasn't uncomfortable just tense. Fai could have sat there forever pretending that things weren't different from before and in just a few hours they would return to Kurogane's house and spend an hour trying to say good night to each other by the stairs. But that wouldn't happen, he still had to feed and there was no house to return to.

Kurogane was smirking at something he had just said when he broke the news. "Kurogane, I have to feed still. It'll only take a little while if you want to wait for me."

"No. I'm not going to wait for you while you have sex with somebody else."

Fai frowned even though he hadn't been expecting much else. That, however, didn't stop the sting. "How would it be any different than me waiting for you to murder somebody?"

Kurogane didn't have an answer for that. He supposed it wasn't much different, the only difference being that thinking about Fai being touched by another person made his skin crawl with jealousy and want and he had no idea what Fai felt thinking about him killing a human. He decided to steer the conversation a slightly different direction, "Why did you push me away when we kissed?"

"You mean when you kissed me."

He scowled, "Bullshit, when _we _kissed. Don't try to deny that you returned it."

Fai sat back in his chair and swirled the bottle by it's neck. "Because – because when we kissed I began to drain you. And that was just kissing. I shouldn't have been able to extract Essence from you by those means! I panicked. What if I hadn't been able to stop?"

It all made sense when explained like that, why the idiot had run from him and why he had insisted on pushing Kurogane away. However, things were different now. "That won't happen anymore."

"How do you know?" Fai questioned bitterly.

He _didn't _know and he had nothing to base his notion on. "I don't know. But we can try, right?"

Fai's head snapped up, his face was set in a deep scowl. "No we can't!"

Regardless of his refusal Kurogane grabbed his face from across the table in both his hands, smooshing Fai's face in a way that would be comical in any other situation, and yanked him rather brutishly across the table so their faces met halfway. Their breath mingled momentarily before Kurogane crashed his lips into Fai's closed and unresponsive ones. Though it occurred to him to stop just in case Fai did drain he couldn't and wouldn't because at that moment he could think of no better waste of Essence than this. Slowly he felt Fai relax and taking it as a good sign he allowed himself to ghost his tongue over Fai's lips to prompt a reaction.

It wasn't happening. Kurogane's Essence wasn't flowing into him! With the realization months and months of sexual and emotional frustration were released and as Kurogane's tongue retreated from his lips he lost what little control and restraint he had around Kurogane. Fai lips pressed back feverishly and the intense urge to touch Kurogane reigned supreme. He launched himself towards the other in a blind urge, unfortunately there was still the matter of the table between them which he disregarded by crawling across the table top and pushing shot glasses out of his way as he made his way to his destination: Kurogane's lap. He hadn't known what prompted his sudden outburst be it love or lust nor did he care at that moment.

Kurogane landed with a soft thud against the back of his chair and released a small 'oompf' as Fai's weight settled on him. Fai's hands were on his face keeping their mouths locked together and seeing no alternative he placed his hands on Fai's waist so the idiot wouldn't fall.

This wasn't right. Fai pushed his tongue into Kurogane's compliant mouth. He still had to feed. Kurogane tasted horrible thanks to that gross scotch, but he could hardly bring himself to care. They were still in a bar. Kurogane pulled back slightly and bit Fai's lip causing Fai to mewl excitedly against Kurogane's upper lip. Wait, they were still in a bar.

Fai pushed Kurogane back against his chair and scrambled off of him only to meet the eyes of the crowd looking at them with varied interest, which waned as Kurogane scowled at the crowd, regardless Fai couldn't stop the blush that crept to the top of his ears. His breathing regulated as Kurogane mumbled incohesively yet irritatedly all the same. What had he just done? They couldn't _do _this! Since when was there a _this_? Fai wrapped his head around the situation for what it was. He had just kissed a man who had _actual, genuine_ feelings for him. He had made it obvious that he returned those feelings if the very public display they hadn't put on right now hadn't been any indication. But he was still _him;_ a Lust Demon. He had to feed and feeding meant sex for him. What kind of normal relationship could be built if one partner had to commit an infidelity daily in order to survive? Was this even progressing to a relationship? They might have been nearly immortal but forever was a long time. It was time to discover people's faults and grow tired of them and what would Kurogane do when that happened? Fai had already lost the one he cared for once but that was to death and old age but to do it a second time? Even he could see the idiocy. These were all very sobering thoughts. "Shit," Fai let the word slip out with an upset, angry tone.

Kurogane must not have caught on. "Yeah, shit," he laughed breathlessly, like he could hardly believe what had just happened and the happiness it brought him.

Fai scowled. "No not 'shit'," he said the word the best he could mimic Kurogane. "Shit," he corrected by saying it darkly. "I shouldn't have done that. I-I have to go."

"'Go' - your bed or mine?" Kurogane teased with a satisfied smirk on his face which immediately fell when Fai brushed past him while adjusting his triangular hat. "What the fuck!" Kurogane quickly gather his things and slapped some bills on the table to chase after the idiot. He emerged outside to bar to find nothing, but he could still _feel _Fai around. He took to the roofs to follow the quickly fading trail, "Idiot you can't run from me now!" He called out into the night as his feet silently padded over thatched roofs. He saw Fai in the distance leaping and tumbling from roof to roof, like a graceful dancer, and he broke into a run. Fai must not have considered Kurogane's speed as a Demon considering the last time he saw him he was human and less physically adept, because he looked seriously shocked when Kurogane jumped off the very edge of a building and came down landing on top of him. They skidded across the roof a few feet from sheer impact and, before the dust even had time to settle, Fai brought his leg back and pushed it into Kurogane's abdomen thereby successfully sending Kurogane flying to the other side of the roof.

Fai adjusted his body and launched himself to his feet by arching his back and pushing off with his hands. Kurogane was collecting himself on the opposite side and Fai flicked his wrist to summon his claws before taking a defensive position.

Kurogane looked at Fai, he didn't want to fight the other but at this point it seemed like the only way to communicate with him. He scowled and clapped his hands together to summon Ginryuu. He gripped the hilt and he too took a defensive position. "I don't want to fight you, idiot."

"Are you going to keep following me?" Fai asked conversationally.

Kurogane thought a moment, "Yes."

The blond narrowed his eyes, "Well, then this is the only way I'm going to get you to stop then, isn't it!" Fai rushed forward and raised his left hand to strike. Kurogane, however sidestepped his attack. From behind he could sense Kurogane's sward cutting through the air. He ducked and supported his upper body so it was parallel with the roof and swept a leg out behind him in hopes of tripping Kurogane.

"What's your excuse now, Fai? You aren't sucking me dry now," Kurogane yelled angrily as he sprinted towards Fai, blunt side of his sward ready to strike.

Fai calculated Kurogane's offense and dropped to his hands using his upper body strength to spring into the air, as he approached the pinnacle of his jump he fixed his body into a ball and using his forward momentum spun over the approaching sward. He landed on his hand and feet in a crouched position.

This was getting nowhere fast. Kurogane stuck Ginryuu into the roof and drew his faithful throwing daggers from his sides. He threw them both with equal force and precision at the other and watched as they landed in Fai's cloak pinning him to the roof. Kurogane knelled in front of Fai who refused to meet his gaze momentarily and when he did he did so while also putting his claw to Kurogane's throat. Kurogane met his movement and drew another dagger and placed it against Fai's neck. "Why are you running away from me now?"

"I don't know what you want from me, Kurogane. But in case you forgot I have to feed every night. How do expect to have any kind of relationship where I have to sleep with a new person each night?"

"I can feed you," Kurogane returned. Actually, he wasn't sure he could but he could at least try.

Fai looked at him like he was dumb. "What even makes you think I'll allow myself to have sex with you? I'll just drain you or have you already forgotten-"

"Just shut up! I can feed you the way Links feed Demons. I'm still part Link, even now."

Fai stared at him with hardened eyes and challenged Kurogane, "Then do it already."

Kurogane swallowed. He hadn't purposely feed anybody since he was a child and even then it would take him a while. At best, he was inexperienced. At worst, he was incapable. His mother's teachings came back to him slowly. He tilted Fai's face so their eyes met and cleared his mind. He focused solely on how energy was flowing through his body. There were two circles instead of the one that he had expected. It must have been the two hemispheres of Essence and Soul with in him operating independently of each other. Since it was the presence of a small amount of Angel Soul that gave a Demon Link their ability he went off a limb and tapped into the Essence surrounding this portion of himself. There was a push and pull of energy within him and as pressure built behind this push and pull Kurogane narrowed his eyes and the energy came out of him blinding him as it passed through his line of sight to his target. The Angel Soul within him beat rapidly and replenished what had been lost until Kurogane stopped giving. He blinked a few times and his vision came back. He stared dumbly at Fai who stared blindly back at him for a moment. "Holy shit. I did it," he said breathing heavily and running his hand through his hair in disbelief.

A predatory smile crept across Fai's face as his own vision came back, "Yeah you did." Once again he was unaware of what he was doing but the realization that he could be with somebody who he cared for in the most intimate way overtook him. He was consumed by lust for Kurogane, consequences be damned and forgotten.

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A/N: Is that sex in the air?

As always your review is very much appreciated but in no way mandated.

I really think this chapter isn't nearly as cohesive as it should be but... here it is.


	7. That Which We Create

A/N: Well the reason this took so long is because I am not confident in my ability to write sex or movement for that matter. And since this chapter is primarily sex... well it took a long time but I'm satisfied with this.

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The Reaper lived in yet another space separate from the human world. It was similar to the Demon Realm, but while the Demon Realm looked like the inside of a volcano the Angel Sanctuary looked as if it floated on clouds. Instead of Demon Houses there was one domain for all of it's Angel residents a town with glistening water ways that ran from the towered castle, through while stone streets, and past small, white, cube shaped houses.

The Reaper resided in that immaculately pure castle surrounded by whom ever they wished. The current Reaper was a woman who went by the name Yuuko. She had been created centuries ago. She had seen the down fall of three great empires in her time sitting upon a huge throne and staring into a pool of water that overlooked the human world in the center of her chamber. It was a looking glass of sorts and it reflected what was beneath her domain and from it she chose those that would have their Soul's retrieved from an Angel. She herself didn't chose them rather it was all preordained and she acted on that. She had known from the moment she was created that the world, the carefully balanced world of three layers, would one day be threatened and it was with the start of her death it would begin.

Reapers didn't simply die, they withered away. Her Soul was beginning to split as it did to all Reapers, soon half of her Soul would leave her and bond to a body of a very specific nature. The body had to be part of every sanction of their world: Angel, Demon, and Human. The two pawns had met long ago and when that had happened she had felt the delicate seams that held her Soul together begin to break and slowly her stomach began to swell, as if she were pregnant. The more time the two of them spent together the larger her stomach grew and the more broken the threads holding her Soul together became.

They fell in love; though they were uncertain themselves she could see it all - even their end. The blond fell in love with the human's scowl and the human with the Demon's laugh. It had started simply enough a lingering look the first night they met, an unexpected desire to protect that which they were supposed to leave but had inevitably returned to that in itself had led to heartbreak that even Yuuko had become upset over. She looked on at them now through the pool. The blond one was straddled over the taller's leg and it seemed at if they were locked in an entirely to hormonal lip battle, and on top of a roof no less! She smirked, the two of them really were interesting - much more fun to watch than other humans or Demons for that matter. She flicked her wrist above the pool and let the other rub over her swollen abdomen as if she were actually carrying a baby.

Once the separated half of her Soul reached it's vessel it would be the duty of the two destined ones to bring the child to her. It was during this period, in which the child was away from it's other half that they were at their weakest and the barrier between the Angel Sanctuary and the Demon Realm in respect to the Human world were also at their weakest because the presiding Reaper wasn't at their full power without the other half of their Soul right by their side and thus they could not maintain the barriers that kept the areas separate, at least not at their full capacity.

However things would not be that simple this time around. Fate had something else in mind and Yuuko was powerless against the preordained.

Still, the new Reaper would be born into the human world, just like they were every few millennium. All the chosen two needed to do was the inevitable.

How they had gotten to the inn was a mystery, Kurogane barely remembered standing up on the roof to leave. It was all moving entirely too fast and at a rate that made his head dizzy. Fai. Fai was his. And he was Fai's. In the months they had been apart he had pretended to accept that he would never see the blond again, but those months were in the past and the blond was backed against a wall with his hands pinned above his head by Kurogane.

They were still partially clothed, Kurogane had lost his shirt at the door so that Fai could greedily rake his nails down the contours of Kurogane's chest to paint needful red marks in indistinct patterns and make the other growl with thinly veiled need. The Wrath Demon ran his tongue up Fai's neck and along his jaw line to bite at Fai's mouth hungrily causing the other to let out a small surprised whimper. He pushed his tongue into Fai's mouth and sucked forcefully at the other's tongue.

Fai tugged frantically at the waistband of Kurogane's pants and felt his shirt being torn away from him and thrown to be discarded and forgotten in the dark that the flickering candles didn't have the strength to light. The slight chill in the air paired with rough fingers pinching with varied measurement quickly made his nipples hard. The blond let his head fall back against the wall both in appreciation and to offer his pale flesh to Kurogane who took it hungrily. He felt the larger's teeth nip at his skin and could only groan with satisfaction as he became increasingly marked.

The Lust Demon let his fingertips trail down the 'v' that began at Kurogane's hip and gently scratch at the coarse hair that protruded from the waistline of the taller's pants and trailed upward on his unbelievably defined and solid stomach. As he felt Kurogane's rough hands leave his reddened and pert nipples to run up his sides to grip at his waist he moved his own hands to the sides of Kurogane's hips and played his fingers over a combination of exposed skin and cloth. He felt Kurogane smirk against his neck and he moved his head to kiss the blond with enough intensity to bruise both of their lips. As they kissed Fai continued to move his arm so that it encircled Kurogane low on his hips and he pushed the other hand down to cup Kurogane's ass and he thought to himself that there was no part of this man that was not solid or undefined.

Kurogane responded by pulling away from Fai's mouth breathlessly, licking his fingers, and using his saliva slicked digits to pinch Fai's already hard yet sore nipple. The sensation of having his heated flesh suddenly soothed caused Fai to arch his back making their clothed erections to rub together for the briefest of moments. Fai moved his hand to rub his finger down the crack of Kurogane's ass.

"Am I an idiot for thinking you were going to let me top?" Kurogane growled into Fai's ear before biting his ear lobe.

Fai found Kurogane's mouth and bit it harshly in retaliation. "No. But that doesn't mean I can't get you excited for round two Kuro-'soon-to-be-bottom'," He punctuated his point by rubbing his finger more harshly. Quite honestly he was to consumed with lust and appreciation for Kurogane's body to care which position he was.

Kurogane ground their cocks together with a snarl and grabbed at Fai's thigh to hook his leg over his hip. Fai's other leg followed as he threw his hands around Kurogane's neck. The Wrath Demon walked them over to the bed and turned so he sat first and Fai straddled him from above.

Fai rubbed his pelvis against Kurogane's in an uneven frenzy and their breathing became labored and heavy. Kurogane's hands roamed over Fai's pale body and he quickly decided they were wearing to much clothing. He undid Fai's pants and worked them down past his ass to expose milky thighs which he swept over lustfully before taking in Fai's weeping tip. He ran his thumb over Fai's tip with sinful slowness and Fai collapsed pitifully into his shoulder and began to suck at his neck with renewed vigor. Fai's tongue was wonderfully wet and warm against his skin as he systematically bit at his neck causing his breath to hitch and then smooth away the pain with a skilled tongue.

All too suddenly Fai began to remove himself from Kurogane's lap and make his way to the floor as he scattered kisses down his chest. Fai brought himself to the floor and worked intently on ridding Kurogane of his pants which he managed in no time. "What are you doing, idiot?" Kurogane bit out the words through clenched teeth as his hardened member hit the chill air.

Fai rubbed his cheek teasingly against the inside of Kurogane's thigh, "What ever Kuro-pon wants." He kissed the head of Kurogane's erection causing the other to inhale shakily and Fai couldn't help the smile that crept over his face when Kurogane came to his senses and scowled at his teasing, "You're cute when you're impatient Kuro-horny."

"I'm not fucking cute you bast-" Fai's mouth engulfed his already leaking tip and his head rolled back in approval with a low groan as Fai's warm, wet tongue swirled around the head tasting his precum. Kurogane gripped the blankets as Fai descended on his length with practiced expertise. "Fuck," he bit out breathlessly. His eyes were half lidded as he found his way to Fai's hair and ran his fingers through the impossibly soft and thick golden mane.

Kurogane pulling at his hair only fueled Fai's desire to please as he came back up the shaft and delicately outlined the head of Kurogane's cock with the tip of his tongue causing Kurogane to buck unrestrained into his mouth. Fai gagged in response and came off of Kurogane with saliva threatening to drip from his mouth and a trail of thick wetness connecting his lips to Kurogane's engorged member. He breathed raggedly and looked up into half lidded red eyes – so beautiful – and Kurogane moved Fai's quickly curling hair to one side of his head in such a manner that suggested a sort of nonverbal apology. With that Fai gently raised his hand and offered his fingers to Kurogane's mouth which were greedily taken. He watched as Kurogane let his eyes slip closed in fantasy and his partner's head bob ever so slightly on his digits as the taller laboriously coated Fai's slim fingers in thick saliva. Fai's own neglected cock twitched with anticipation as he felt Kurogane's tongue swirl around each digit.

Fai removed his fingers from Kurogane's mouth and the Wrath Demon grunted with disapproval of the retraction of his oral fixation but was sufficed when Fai clamored onto his lap. Fai used his shoulder's to support his lithe frame as he brought his slicked fingers back to his entrance and probed with little patience. Kurogane watched with as much restraint and he could muster as Fai's eyelids shielded blue orbs and the blond withered as he willed himself to relax. The taller turned his attention to Fai's chest and began licking indistinct trails across it, each time he came to a nipple he would nip at it and then run his tongue across it gently before he moved to make more patterns. Each action caused Fai to mewl softly as his cheeks flushed pink and his breathing even more labored as the Lust Demon prepared himself.

Fai's hands pushed him back with sudden forcefulness and he fell against the mattress, Kurogane's grip on Fai's pale thighs tightened as the blond's body followed after him. Their chest pressed closed together and Fai kissed him so fiercely their teeth knocked together and they were battling for dominance, Fai won with a harsh bit of Kurogane's lips that made him growl in surprise The blond's mouth descended upon the hollow of his neck; Fai sucked and nipped and bit and when Kurogane thought he would die from some sort of paradoxical combination of over and underexposure Fai's hips moved to rub their straining members together. He tore at Fai's back; his nails digging into heated pale flesh in a laughable effort to remain quiet in the thin walled inn. He whimpered; he wouldn't have admitted it but each time Fai's hardened member passed over his own that was aching with need he would cry out pathetically with the need for more. He needed one of them to be inside the other feeling the pull of heated flesh and creating world removed from reality that was sex in it's rawest most primitive form. He needed Fai to take him. He needed to take Fai. In that moment he needed release.

After what seemed like torturous hours of Fai's cock teasing the blond sat up so that he rested on Kurogane's thighs. Fai looked down at Kurogane's flushed face with a smirk. Red eyes locked with his own blue and his smile broadened as he moved his attention to Kurogane's proud erection. "You're so big Kuro-myu," he teased as he thoughtfully ran his thumb over the head of Kurogane's cock.

God damn the Demon to hell; Fai would give him enough stimulation to paralyze him with lust but never enough to push him over the edge into orgasm. And the blond knew it, Kurogane could tell by the way Fai smiled at him as he shivered and moaned in blissful agony. His head was clouded with sensation and stimulation.

Fai tilted his head down and after a moment pursed his lips so that a trail of saliva left his mouth and found it's way to the tip of Kurogane's cock. Kurogane threw an arm over his eyes and groaned deeply at the sensation of deceivingly cold wetness running down his shaft. His toes curled inwards as Fai fisted his cock just tight enough to further lubrication but _still_ not tight enough to bring him to much needed release. The blonde brought his face back to Kurogane's and kissed him fully on the lips Kurogane could hardly kiss back and gave Fai minimum effort as he pushed his lips back against the blond's.

Fai pulled away their lips gently smacking and he brought his mouth close to Kurogane's ear and whispered, "Not yet Kuro-needy." Fai brought himself up and used one had to guide Kurogane to his entrance. He used the other to steady himself by splaying it out over Kurogane's chest and he brought himself down on Kurogane. Kurogane's hands gripped at his hips and his breath hitched as the man beneath him raised his hips ever so slightly to move the process of penetration along.

As the heat engulfed him Kurogane could not help but let out a drawn out, throaty moan. Fai became fully sheathed on him and it was only then that he was able to open his eyes to take in the man sitting over him. The blond's head was rolled back in approval and his ribs pushed against his skin as Fai's back arched. Fai's body slowly snapped back so he was sitting straight and he looked down as Kurogane as he rolled his hips causing Kurogane to tighten his grip.

Fai smirked at him like he was cute or something and he tried to scowl but found it impossible when Fai rolled his hips twice more in succession causing him to whimper. Fai panted, "Are you ready to take over Kuro-pu? Or should I keep teasing you?" Fai rolled his hips again for emphasis.

Kurogane smirked preadatorily at being challenged and quickly sat up pulling Fai into him. The blond gasped and clawed at Kurogane's biceps in appreciation. He nipped Fai's bottom lip before guiding Fai slowly down to the mattress.

Kurogane lowered himself to his forearms so he hovered above the blond. Fai's mouth resided right beside his ear and the other wrapped his arms around Kurogane's sweat dampened back. Not only could he hear but Kurogane could feel each moan that tumbled lazily past Fai's kiss swollen mouth as he made slow shallow thrusts. The mood had shifted. While there was still the primal need for a physical connection the closer they came to their respective climax the more their Souls attempted to grab for a purely emotional one.

Fai needed Kurogane to move faster, quicker, just _more_. It had been to long since he had had sex for _him_. Not for survival but because he wanted the person he was with body and Soul. That's what sex was, though it escaped human understanding. It was a touching of Souls at climax and it brought unparallelled closeness. Men and women created children when they touched Souls, each relinquishing a small part of themselves to create another life. He pressed his lips against Kurogane's sweat laden neck, underneath his jaw, and trailed his mouth to Kurogane's thin lips. The kiss was sloppy on his part and tasted of salt but it was wonderful all the same. He brought his hands to Kurogane's chest and pushed assertively hoping Kurogane would catch on to his instruction. Even though he had given the lead to Kurogane some tender moments ago this new direction made him apprehensive and he desperately wanted to restore the heated clash of bodies from earlier.

Kurogane brought himself up right in response to Fai's prompt and brought Fai with him so the blond was sitting in his lap with him sheathed inside. Fai continued to push to his surprise and he cast his hand behind himself in search of a place to balance as the angle of his body changed the closer it got to the bed. Fai's eyes looked feral and while the look was enough to send a jolt to his groin there was another aspect that was terrifying. It was as if they had begun to have two different intentions in having sex. He had no time to think on this though as Fai's hands spread over Kurogane's chest and ran slowly down to his abdomen where they stayed.

Fai brought himself up and came back down to meet Kurogane's thrust with a throaty moan. He brought his head down to Kurogane's shoulder, biting it, as Kurogane took over setting a pace at which to thrust into him. He needed something to do to be an active participant and so he brought his mouth to Kurogane's nipple, producing a sudden gasp from the man beneath him and a sudden break in rhythm. "Kuro-puu is so sensitive here," Fai punctuated his point by giving the other nub a firm suck.

Kurogane gasped something that sounded suspiciously like, "Shut up idiot," as he increased his speed.

Fai began to groan and moved his pelvis so he could meet Kurogane's thrusts. He was close to release and only became more so when Kurogane's hand found it's way to his hardened member and began to jerk him off with deliberate strokes.

Fai brought himself back up and leaned back on his hands giving them an entirely new angle for Kurogane to thrust in at. All it took was a few thrusts at this new angle for Kurogane to locate tight bundle of nerves inside and Fai went momentarily rigid with over stimulation. Once Fai came to he couldn't help the frantic sloppy pace at which their hips began to meet. He needed this, to feel Kurogane in a way more intimate than sex, right? In away that they could only experience as Demons conscious of the weight and feel of their Soul. Right?

With a few final strokes and well aimed thrust Fai moaned deeply as he released over Kurogane's hand and abdomen. His Soul was exposed and desperately reaching out for Kurogane's and because of this want and need to join Souls, if even for a fleeting moment. He wanted this even as he collapsed on to Kurogane's chest.

Kurogane, felt Fai's release and quickened his pace to finish himself off. His thrusts were erratic at best and when he climaxed he felt something he had never expected to: Fai's Soul. It was like their Souls were touching and the swamping feeling of intimacy engulfed him. He could feel Fai's heartbeat. It was warm and he understood how Fai felt in that moment but he could also feel the blond's underlying confusion and conflict. The other was scared to let him in, scared of being cast aside or worse losing him all together. Kurogane couldn't help but wonder what Fai was experiencing as he embraced his Soul.

But then there was a terrible pain and both of them felt the shock of the other as pieces of their Souls were brutally ripped away from their source. It was like a sudden loss of the ability to breathe and in the moment they felt death in the other, dark and consuming. When life came back to them, though, it was worse. It was a tremendous pain that felt like all tendons, connections, junctions of their body were being torn away. Kurogane bit his tongue and tasted blood and no amount of mental preparation could have prepared him for the ear splitting scream Fai let out. The blond's body made sharp movements that contorted his body in inhuman ways all the while Kurogane's hands tightened their grip on Fai's hips as if to keep the other in place.

It was then that their eyes began to glow intensely and their mouths went agape at the pieces of their bodies that they had felt being torn flew away from them and began to spin in a ball. Skin ripped away from muscle, muscle flew away from bone, and bone in other places ripped through muscle and skin. The process of reconstruction was worse. Everything they had lost burned with the heat of a thousand suns as it was made from nothing but magic. Eventually, without even realizing it Kurogane lost consciousness just as the ball of body parts began to take shape around the parts of their Soul it had taken from them.

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A/N: Well that's a mood killer, wouldn't you say so? :]

Anyway unlike this chapter the chapters I have saved on my laptop don't need to go through major upheaval and instead just need a good through edit or two and then they can be posted.

As always thank you for reading. Drop a review if you have time and I will see you next time. :3


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